


Hunted

by mta797



Category: Emergency! (TV 1972)
Genre: Angst, Drama, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Serious Johnny and Roy Whumping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:15:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 45,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28727970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mta797/pseuds/mta797
Summary: He heard another crack from the rifle a second before he felt an agonizing, deep burn in the back of his leg. He cried out in pain as his leg gave out beneath him and he tumbled hard to the ground. Blinking back the tears of pain, he cast a quick furtive glance behind him, and saw his tormentor moving closer, getting into position for the kill.
Comments: 21
Kudos: 45





	1. Chapter 1

Slipping and sliding on the muddy trail, Johnny desperately grabbed the tree root that was poking out of the ground just above him to help pull himself up the slippery, unstable hill. He felt the hot wind caused by another bullet as it flew by his head and embedded itself into the wet, muddy ground next to his hand. He glanced, breathlessly, back over his shoulder, swallowing hard as he saw the man lift the rifle up to his eye and aim again. He quickly scrambled towards the thick underbrush, ignoring the branches that seemed to reach out like fingers trying to clutch at his clothes, scratching his face and arms and tearing the tender skin beneath the material.

He heard another crack from the rifle a second before he felt an agonizing, deep burn in the back of his leg. He cried out in pain as his leg gave out beneath him and he tumbled hard to the ground. Blinking back the tears of pain, he cast a quick furtive glance behind him, and saw his tormentor moving closer, getting into position for the kill.

Swallowing hard, he scrambled back up to his feet, gritting his teeth hard in an attempt to ignore the agonizing pain in his leg as he forced himself to run as fast as he could manage towards the safety of the thicker underbrush just a few yards away. He knew the only way this game was going to end was when he was dead, and he wasn't ready to die just yet.

Reaching the thick undergrowth, he threw himself down and rolled beneath the thick ferns and low hanging branches, crawling a little further into the twilight darkness of the plants until he was certain he was far enough away from the trail not to be seen. Laying as still as he could, he held his breath, not game enough to even breathe as he saw the hunter's boots come into view. He prayed that the man could not hear his thumping heart and that the dying light from the setting sun hid any blood drops that had fallen as he watched the muddy pair of boots stop just yards from where he was hiding. Time seemed to stand still until the boots slowly moved away. Dropping his head onto his arms, he swallowed the nervous laugh that threatened to escape before he rolled over onto his back and looked up through the ferns, and the branches above, towards the darkening sky, unsure of just how he was going to get away or even if he was going to survive the night.


	2. Chapter 2

Lee Rollings looked up from the notes he was trying to copy from his partner’s notepad as the doors to the elevator slid open and his captain stepped out. Nudging his partner, he nodded his head in the direction of his captain who had turned and now was hurrying along the corridor towards them.

"How is he?" The Homicide detective demanded gruffly as he reached them.

"Bad, real bad, Tom. He took a round in the leg and another in the back. He's lost a lot of blood," Lee answered quietly, "They didn't even take him into the ER, they brought him straight up here to the operating room. The doctor said he's critical."

"Do we know who he is?"

Jim Thompson shook his head, "Not yet, there was no ID in any of his pockets. Some hikers found him dumped on the side of the Sisquoc River Trail, near the Lower Bear campground. He looked like he had been running through the underbrush, his clothes were ripped and muddy, and there were twigs and leaves sticking to his clothes and hair. I have some of the uniform guys searching the area now for any clues as to how and what he was doing there but so far nothing."

"But we think he could be another victim of our National Park serial killer. We found his calling card in our vic's pocket, just like the other four victims.” Rollings cut in, getting his captain’s full and undivided attention as he continued, “I sent the card and his clothes across to the lab but I'm not sure we are going to get anything useful from them. I’m still waiting on the bullets the docs dig out of our vic in the OR but I’m sure they're going to be a match to the over bullets pulled out of the other four victims.” Rollings sighed as he turned and stared at the closed doors leading into the operating room. “This guy’s careful, Tom, … and smart. Hasn’t left a single fingerprint, a hair or any other identifying evidence that we can use behind with any of the other victims. Can’t see him screwing that up with this one.”

“He’s already screwed up.” The Homicide captain softly corrected his detective. Seeing the confused look on his detective’s face as Lee turned and looked at him questioningly, he explained, “He didn’t make sure that this guy was dead.”

"Maybe the guy thought he was dead and decided to dump the body. Hell, I thought he was dead when we got there. It was only when we managed to find a weak pulse-"

The three detectives’ softly murmured conversation stopped mid-sentence, and they all turned as one and looked at the door to the OR as it opened, and the surgeon stepped outside.

Pulling the blue surgical cap from his head, the surgeon crossed to where the three Homicide detectives were waiting.

“How is he, Doc?" Lee asked as the surgeon reached them.

"Extremely critical and unstable, I'm afraid, if he can make it through the next twenty-four hours, he has a chance." The surgeon answered as he tugged the mask that hung around his neck free, "One of the bullets went through his leg and thigh, but he managed to slow the bleeding with a tourniquet, but the second bullet though did the most damage, it struck him in the back and nicked his liver before lodging in his intestines. We managed to control the bleeding by temporally packing the liver and repairing the tears in his intestines, but he was too weak for us to do much more. We are going to wait until he is a little stronger and able to tolerate more surgery before we will take him back to the O.R. "

"Can we see him?" Jim asked, the desperation to finally get a break in this case evident in his voice.

"I'm sorry, but he’s in no condition to have any visitors." The doctor said firmly before he repeated, "As I told you his condition is extremely critical. I’m afraid there’s a very real possibility that he’s not going to survive the day.” Seeing the disappointment and the frustration in the three detectives’ eyes and very aware of the reports in the newspapers that police suspected that Santa Barbara had a serial killer in their mists who was using the Los Padres National Park as his own personal body dumping grounds, the surgeon added quietly, “I don’t know if this is of any help to you, but he did briefly regain consciousness just before we put him under. He was pretty confused but he kept asking for someone called Johnny."

"Johnny, you said?" Tom frowned.

"Yep, he kept asking if we found Johnny." The surgeon continued before shrugging, "But as I said he was pretty confused and very agitated, now if you will excuse me gentlemen, I really need to get back to my patient."

Tom nodded. "Thanks Doc, if there's any change in his condition-"

"I'll let you know." The surgeon promised before he turned and re-entered to operating room.

Waiting until the O.R. door closed behind the surgeon, Tom turned back to his two detectives and sighed, “Are you both thinking what I’m thinking?”

Lee nodded, his eyes never leaving the door through which the surgeon had just disappeared. “Yeah, I am,” he answered softly. “I think there could be another victim named Johnny somewhere out there.”


	3. Chapter 3

Hank Stanley pushed the paperwork he had been trying to complete for the last hour aside and sighed in frustration. How the hell was he supposed to explain in less than two hundred words what had happened to his two paramedics when he didn't even know the answer to that question himself? All he knew was John and Roy had gone out on a man down call, their first run of the shift, and had vanished, leaving their empty squad with both doors wide open, abandoned in an empty parking lot of the Marathon Refinery in Wilmington, five miles in the opposite direction to their original call.

Hank had no idea why they had gone there, neither man had radioed in that they were responding to a different location or why. anything was amiss or that they believed that they were in any sort of danger…in fact, there had been no radio contact both to either dispatch or Rampart Hospital since they had left the station. Just a complete and unsettling silence as dispatch's, Rampart's, and his own desperate radio calls to them went unanswered.

It had taken LAPD almost four hours to locate the missing squad, not that the discovery had helped answer the question that everyone, especially him, needed the answer to. Where the Hell was Gage and DeSoto and what had happened to them?

Launching himself to his feet, he ignored his chair as it flew back and slammed into the wall behind his desk as he reached for his empty coffee mug and headed towards the door. He needed to get out of the small room before his fear for his two missing men and frustration of not knowing what had happened to them suffocated him.

E! E! E! E! E!

Stepping into the kitchen, Hank looked at the subdued faces of his guys who were sitting silently around the table as they all looked up, the unspoken question on each of their faces. Swallowing hard, he shook his head, "No, there's no word on either Johnny or Roy yet."

Walking across to the coffee pot, he poured himself a cup of coffee, taking his time as he heard Chet mutter, "Man, I just don't get it? They drive around in a red fire truck, how could they both just disappear into thin air!"

"It's Sunday." Mike answered softly, looking across the table at Chet as he added, "I read in the paper that the refinery was being closed down for the weekend for maintenance." Looking back at his captain as Hank turned slowly around to face them, he asked, "Does Joanne know?"

Hank nodded as he walked across to join his men at the table and sat down, "The Chief has already notified her. I've already called Em, she's going to go across and stay with Joanne and the kids until we know something more." Taking a small sip of coffee, Hank lowered his cup back down on the table, looking around the table at the three worried faces staring back at him as he sighed, "Crockett told me that what ever happened to Roy and Johnny, that if someone else was, they weren't looking for drugs. He asked Rampart to do an inventory of Roy's and Johnny's drug box. Everything's still there, nothing's been touched."

"Maybe they got waved down by someone who needed help," Marco suggested, looking at Chet to back him up before he looked back at his captain and continued, "Maybe something happened, and they got themselves trapped. I mean, Cap, we all know that there's lots of places in the refinery where that can happen."

"The police have already searched-" Cap began softly.

"But that's the police, Cap, not us!" Chet interrupted, leaning forward. "They don't know how to search for victims like we do."

Cap glanced across at Mike who silently nodded his agreement.

"What if they are trapped in one of the tanks?" Chet continued, "That cold front they are warning about is starting to roll in faster than they predicted, and we only have a few hours of daylight left, Cap, and if they are trapped and it starts raining-" Chet swallowed hard unable to finish his worse fears for his friends.

Cap looked around at his men before he slowly nodded, "We will have to stay available." He warned them firmly. The three firemen nodded as their chairs scrapped noisily across the floor as they all jumped up and ran out to the engine "I'll have to contact the chief and let him know where we are going and what we are doing." Cap finished to the now empty room as he rose to his feet and followed his men out of the room.


	4. Chapter 4

Staring up at the brooding dark clouds that he could see through the canopy of green tree ferns and leaves, Johnny tried to slow his racing heart as he heard the footsteps slowly move away from where he was hiding. He had been hoping that the last couple of hours were just part of a vivid nightmare, brought on by late-night watching another of Chet’s favorite horror movies on the TV and that Roy would wake him any moment to help him escape from the oh, too real dream. But the very real pain that was shooting up and down his leg forced him to accept the reality that this was not a dream, he was now living his worst nightmare, one that no one could wake him up from.

A soft sob caught in his throat and he closed his eyes as the realization that Roy was dead threatened to overwhelm him. Roy was dead... Killed in the same bizarre game that he was now ensnared in, and there was nothing that he could have done to save him.

What had begun as a typical morning, with the Phantom managing to get him with not one but two water bombs and then salt in his first cup of coffee, now was ending with him trapped in this nightmare with Roy dead and the odds were that he was soon going to die as well, miles away from home, and his friends, with no one knowing where he was or what was happening to him or what had happened to Roy.

He wondered if they had found the squad yet, he knew that enough time had passed that they would know that he and Roy were missing. A tear trickled down the side of his face as his thoughts drifted to Joanne, Chris and Jenny and the future they now had to face without a husband and father and the all-consuming grief of never knowing what had happened to him.

He shook his head as the footsteps faded away to nothing, replaced by chattering birds and the scampering sounds of small animals, all alerted by the smell of man, fear, blood and sweat, and all warning each other of the potential danger.

Opening his eyes, he stared back up at the dark storm clouds that he could see peeking through the leaves as he wished that someone had warned Roy and him of the danger that they were in when they responded to that first run of the shift - a ‘man down’ run, this morning. The call had seen routine enough, twenty minutes away from the station. The address was just a house ranch, no different from hundreds of other similar ranch houses and ranches located in the hills surrounding LA that they had responded to before. A little more isolated perhaps than most, but not enough to ring any alarm bells.

His last vivid memory of the run before he woke up to find himself locked in a cage, was rolling up to the front door and Roy placing the squad in park a heartbeat before a man, armed with a rifle appeared at his squad door and pointed the gun at his head through his open window, warning him not to move. Any objections or thoughts of trying to talk their way out of the situation that they had suddenly found themselves in was immediately forgotten as he heard Roy gasp in pain beside him. Spinning his head around to check on his closest friend as he felt Roy suddenly slump against him, he felt a sharp pain in the side of his neck, and everything went black.

He tasted the hot bile as it rose in the back of his throat as the memory of being startled awake by one of his captors, who was dressed in camouflage hunting gear, complete with binoculars hanging around his neck, a large hunting knife hanging in sheaf on his belt and holding a high powered, fully scoped hunting rifle, kick the thick metal bars of the cage that he had woken to find trapped within, shouting, "Wake up, Sunshine, you've slept enough! It's time for ya to get up! Time's a wastin'.", slammed back into his mind.

At first, he hadn’t been completely sure if he was dreaming or not, his head had felt like it was stuffed with cotton candy, making it hard to think or even move, as he stared up at the man standing next to the cage, who was grinning back at him. "Where - where am I?”

He heard the second man, similarly dressed like his companion, chuckle, “I’ll tell you where you ain’t, _Mr_ _Paramedic_ , and that's you definitely ain’t in LA anymore!”

"Time for what?" He had asked, ignoring the other man's strange taunt as his confusion grew. It had taken him another second or two before he realized that Roy had not yet said a word. Turning his head slightly, he saw an empty cage beside him. Both his and Roy's blue shirts, jackets, belts and wallets laying in an untidy pile beside the open door had only added to his confusion and he realized that sometime before he had awoken, both he and it appeared also Roy had been stripped down to their undershirts, pants, shoes and socks. "Roy? Where's Roy?" he had demanded, ignoring the dizziness the sudden movement caused as he turned back and looked up at the man, " _Where's Roy?_ "

"Why, he played the game and lost, my good man, just like the other nine before him." The man's laughter echoed in his ears as the man grinned across at his friend before he reached down and unlocked the padlock as the other man cocked and pointed his hunting rifle directly at his head, "But you…you, my young friend will hopefully be different." Pressing himself against side of the cage, ignoring the thin steel mesh that cut into his back, he had desperately tried to push the man's hand away as the man reached in to grab him. But his efforts to push the hand away were in vain as the man grabbed his arm and yanked him out of the cage, causing him to painfully slide out on his side onto the rough cement floor as the first man added chillingly, "I hope that we're gunna have a bit more of a challenge now we're going to be hunting a real live, red-skinned Injun."

The sound of something whizzing past by his right ear, showering him with small torn fern leaves as it passed, pulled Johnny back to the present. Instinctively, he rolled back over onto his stomach, covering his head with his hands as he tried to back to look through the ferns behind him, searching for some movement or sign that could help him locate where the two hunters were hiding. But in the total silence that had settled over the forest, he could see no movement, in fact, there was nothing at all to indicate where his two tormentors were. He swallowed hard. If these guys could shoot that close and not be seen, his chances of getting out of the mess just plunged.

He heard Roy’s voice in his head chiding him that he if he wanted to live and get out of here, he couldn’t start thinking that way. This was a crazy game he had found himself being forced to play was a game of the survival of the fittest, and he wasn't going down without a fight. The first thing he needed to do was put some distance between himself and the two insane hunters who were tracking his every move, and then he needed to come up with some sort of a plan about how he was going to get out of this mess. The two insane hunters had already boosted how they had already hunted and murdered ten men, including Roy, and he knew that they were planning for him to be trophy number eleven.

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, he forced himself to mentally push away all thoughts of Roy and what had happened to his partner, and the man whom he come to think of as a brother, during the last few hours of Roy's life at the hands of these two mad men. As deep as Roy's death was hurting, he knew that Roy would not want him to allow his pain and grief over his death to overtake him, there would be time to grief for Roy later, but first he needed to make sure that he made it out alive.

Wiping away the tears that he only just realized were running freely down his cheeks, he turned and crawled through the underbrush until he thought he was far enough away to be out of the sights of the two rifles. Forcing himself to get back up onto his feet, he looked around at the unfamiliar forest that surrounded him as he muttered to himself, “I guess he was right. I think it’s safe to say I’m definitely ain’t in Los Angeles anymore.” Gritting his teeth against the white-hot pain that radiated up and down his leg, threatening to topple him with every painfilled step he took, he headed deeper into the woods, hoping to put as much distance between himself and his tormentors as he murmured “But wherever I am, I’ve got to get out of here!”


	5. Chapter 5

Frustration! It was an emotion that sadly Lee Rollings was only too familiar with when it came to the job. He had learned to push it to the background but this time he just couldn't ignore it. Drawing in a deep breath, he thanked the man on the other end of the phone before he slammed it down and threw the pen, he had been using to jot down the information he was being given, across the bullpen, narrowly missing Jim as the older man walked towards his desk, carrying two mugs of coffee and several sheets of paper.

"By your reaction, I guess that phone call wasn’t good news." Jim frowned as he handed Lee one of the mugs before taking a sip from his own mug as he sat down on the corner of Lee's desk, placing the three sheets of paper he was holding, facedown, on the desk beside him.

"Yeah." Lee sighed as he tried to push away the frustration he was feeling. Nodding his thanks for the coffee, he took a small token sip before he looked up at his partner and sighed again, "That was the lab. They just finished examining the two bullets dug out of our last victim."

“And?” Jim asked suspiciously.

“Only one was a match to our other victims.”

“Only one?” the older man frowned.

Lee nodded, “Both bullets were .30-30 bullets just like the ones pulled out of our other victims, but the lab says the rifling marks on the bullets indicate that two bullets were fired from two different guns.”

“Are they sure?” Jim frowned.

“Positive,” Lee sighed, “and there’s more…”

“Go on.”

“When they discovered the second bullet didn’t match the first one, the lab guys decided to re-examine the bullets used to kill our other three vics.”

“And?”

“After they managed to finally piece the fragments to two of the other bullets removed from the first two bodies together, they discovered that the bullet pulled out of our John Doe today is a match to two bullets pulled out of Mike Ridgley and our first John Doe.”

“So, we might be chasing two shooters not one?” Jim murmured as he took a small sip of his coffee, watching his partner over the rim of his mug.

“Yeah, two nutcases running around out their getting their jollies by murdering innocent people.” Lee sighed unhappily, taking a sip of his own coffee before he lowered his mug back and stared at the three pieces of paper his partner had laid face down on the edge of his desk. “What are those?” he asked frowning, looking back up at his partner.

Jim lowered his mug before he looked down and smiled. Picking up the first piece of paper up, he turned it over before handing it across to Lee. “Something that might be just enough to put a smile on that ugly face of yours. I ran our latest John Doe’s photo through the DMV, and I hit pay dirt. Our latest John Doe’s name is Roy DeSoto, twenty-nine years old, married with a young son. He’s a LA paramedic working out of Fire Station 51 in Carson.”

“And let me guess, his partner’s name just wouldn’t happen to be Johnny, would it?” Lee asked softly after staring at the face of their latest John Doe on the license telexed across from the DMV before he looked back up hopefully at his partner, his heart racing at the first break they may have just gotten with this case.

“Yep! Meet our mysterious ‘Johnny’ who the doc said DeSoto was fretting about when he briefly regained consciousness in the OR.” Jim grinned as he picked up the second sheet of paper and handed it across to him to study, “He’s L.A. Paramedic John Roderick Gage, twenty-two years of age and DeSoto’s partner. I contacted the LAPD and spoke to a Lieutenant Crockett.” He waited until Lee looked up and he had his partner’s full attention before handing him the third piece of paper containing the notes that he had only jotted down minutes before continuing, “DeSoto and Gage were both reported missing by the LA County Fire Department after they disappeared while attending a run at seven o’clock this morning in Carson.”

Lee’s eyes went wide as he looked down at Jim’s almost illegible, handwritten scrawl before he looked back up at his partner and stared at him in disbelief, “That’s over 90 miles away.”

“Yep,” Jim nodded grimly. “And almost a two-hour trip by car if you don’t stop anywhere on the way.”

“So, what are you thinking? That these two scumbags are going elsewhere to get their victims?” Lee asked, frowning.

“Could be why we are having trouble identifying our other two John Does.” Jim answered.

“But Ridgley was a local.” Lee frowned before softly reminding his partner, “He disappeared from the Goleta Valley Hospital after finishing his night shift.”

“I know,” Jim nodded as he twisted body around on the desk to face his partner better,” But Ridgley was our first victim, remember?”

Lee nodded slowly.

“But what if there are more victims, like John Gage, out there that we don’t know about? Hell, there’s no way anyone would have even connected their disappearance in LA with our serial killer if DeSoto hadn’t have been found this afternoon.”

“Yeah…” Lee frowned, not sure just where his partner was trying to lead him.

“Look, I’ve been thinking, these bastards are smart! Smart enough to know that if they grab too many locals, they won’t be able to stay under the radar for too long.”

“So, they are grabbing their victims from other places.” Lee’s frown deepened, “Okay, I can see that, most serial killers travel the country while trolling for their victims but why are they bringing them back here to murder them and dump the bodies? And why grab two LA paramedics who are out on a run? They must have known that the two LA paramedics’ disappearances was not going to go unnoticed for long.”

“I don’t think they cared. I think they believe that we won’t connect any of their victims with any missing persons from other cities if the bodies were found.” Jim answered before adding, “I also have been thinking about why they are bringing back their victims to Santa Barbara.”

“And?”

“What if we are wrong about the park just being used as their body dumping grounds?”

“What do you mean?” Lee asked, leaning closer to his partner, his coffee now totally forgotten.

“Well, we both know that .30-30 bullets are not your typical caliber bullets that are used in most murders.”

“Yeah.”

“And we also know that most serial killers usually like getting up nice and personal with their victims while killing them, not something you can do with a gun.”

Lee nodded in silent agreement.

“So, we know the bullets they are using are the type of ammo normally used for hunting-”

Lee’s eyes went wide with shock at what his partner was suggesting as he looked around the bullpen to re-assure himself no one else was listening into their conversation before he turned back to his partner and whispered the horrifying conclusion that his partner’s theory had just led him to. “Are you trying to tell me that you think these two psychos may be grabbing their victims so they can hunt them?”

Jim nodded, “It's the only thing that makes sense. The four vics we have found so far have all had their ID taken from them. Hell, Lee, DeSoto even had his uniform shirt removed so we wouldn't know he was a paramedic from LA, and all four victims looked like and suffered injuries that most likely have occurred from running through the forest. All four were shot with bullets used primarily for large game hunting. And where better to hunt a man and kill him than in the Los Padres National Park?” Lee nodded again as Jim added, “So that’s why I asked Crockett to bring along Gage’s and Desoto’s captain with him when he brings Desoto’s wife to be with DeSoto. If my theory is correct, we’re going to need to know what type of man Gage is, how resourceful he is and anything else his captain can tell us about him if we are going to have any chance of finding him before he ends up like his partner or worse!”


	6. Chapter 6

Stepping through the kitchen doors out into the bay, Cap found himself quickly sidestepping around Mike, Chet and Marco who had all come to a complete and sudden stop right in front of him. “What the…” he began, stopping in mid-step, himself, as he saw the Chief and Crockett step around the engine and walk slowly towards them.

“Hank,” the chief began softly, glancing at the paling faces of the remaining Station 51 crew before he returned his attention back to their captain as he continued quietly, “I’m sorry for dropping in unannounced but the Lieutenant and I need to speak to you.” Casting another quick glance at the pale three firefighters who were still standing motionless behind Hank, he added firmly, “In private.”

Hank swallowed hard and nodded. Looking back over his shoulder at his three remaining men, he could see the same fear in their eyes that he was feeling as he cleared his throat and ordered gently, “Why don’t you three guys go back in the kitchen and have another cup of coffee.”

Casting a quick look at the two grim looks on the two men’s faces over his captain’s shoulder; Mike nodded and nudged the two men standing on each side of him. “Come on guys, lets grab another cup of coffee before we make a start on polishing the engine.” He suggested quietly before turning and heading back into the kitchen as Chet and Marco reluctantly followed.

Rounding the desk and sitting down on the captain’s chair as Crockett settled himself next to the desk, the chief looked up as he saw Hank hesitate at the office door. the office. “Hank, please come in and shut the door.” Conrad ordered the younger man gently.

Hank swallowed hard, a sinking feeling in his gut as he silently did as he was ordered before he turned and looked at Crockett before he returned his attention back to the chief as he forced himself to ask, “Does this have something to do about Roy’s and Johnny’s disappearance? Has…has something happened?”

The chief nodded as he titled his head towards the chair in front of the desk as he answered gently, “Why don’t you take a seat, Hank, then we will talk.”

Walking woodenly across to the chair, Hank slowly sat down as he looked across at the chief and whispered, “You’ve found them, haven’t you?” Turning his head to look at Crockett, he managed to ask through his tightening throat the one question that he was positive he didn’t really want to know the answer to, “Are…are they dead?”

“DeSoto’s been found, Hank, he’s been shot in the leg and the back and he is in critical condition but he’s alive.” Conrad answered softly as Hank slowly turned back towards him.

“Does Joanne, Roy’s wife know?”

The chief nodded, “We went there first as soon as we knew ourselves. Your wife said she would take DeSoto’s young son home with her and he could stay with your family as long as needed.”

Hank nodded, unsurprised by Em’s offer as he asked cautiously “And Johnny?” His heart began to race as he saw the chief and the police lieutenant trade glances and he steeled himself for the bad news he instantly knew he was about to receive about the youngest member of his crew.

“I’m sorry, Hank, but he’s still missing.” Crockett told Hank softly before adding, “And that brings me to the reason why I’m here.” Hank frowned at Crockett in confusion as the officer continued, “You see, DeSoto was found shot and critically wounded by some hikers beside the Sisquoc River Trail in the Los Padres National Park a couple of hours ago.”

Hank’s confusion grew, “I don’t understand. Did you just say that Roy was found in the Los Padres National Park?”

The police lieutenant nodded.

“But the Los Padres National Park is almost one hundred miles away and Roy and Johnny went missing while on a run here-”

“In Carson.” Crockett finished for him, nodding again before adding. “Which is the reason why it took the Santa Barbara police so long to identify him.”

“But how?” Hank looked desperately at the chief in an attempt to understand what the lieutenant was trying to tell him before he looked back at Crockett.

“Look Hank, I’m afraid that I haven’t got all the details yet, all I know so far is that Santa Barbara police believe that your two men were snatched this morning in Carson and ended up in Santa Barbara and they said that they desperately need your help in their search for Gage,” the lieutenant told him softly.

“My help?” Hank frowned, “I’m not sure just how I can help but if I can be of any help at all with finding John, I will do my best.”

“Good man,” Chief Conrad smiled as he rose to his feet, followed by Crockett and Hank and headed towards the door. Reaching for the door handle, he paused for a moment as he heard the muffled sound of running feet from the other side of the door. He waited a heartbeat to allow the three men whom he suspected had been trying to eavesdrop into their conversation to make it to back to the engine and pretend they were just innocently polishing it before he opened the door and stepped back out into the bay. Turning back to Hank, he announced, “I’m standing A shift down for the rest of your shift and I know you are all rostered off for the next four days.” Turning to eye the three men who had stopped their ‘polishing’ and were now watching him closely, he looked back at Hank and continued. “Lieutenant Crockett was going to drive both you and DeSoto’s wife up to Santa Barbara. But I think you have three willing volunteers who will be wanting to accompany you there. So go, Hank, and bring both our boys home.”

E!E!E!E!E!

Feeling his foot snagged beneath something, Johnny threw his hands out in a desperate attempt to break his fall, but he was unable to stop his headfirst, uncontrollable tumble down the hill. He let out a pain filled grunt as he slammed against a rock, momentarily knocking the wind out of him. Rolling onto his back, he tried to concentrate on drawing a breath into his burning lungs as he stared up through the canopy of trees above him at the tiny patches of the angry looking black clouds intermingled with small patches of blue sky that appeared and disappeared behind the swaying leaves.

He needed some sort of a plan to get out of here, stumbling blindly through the forest with an untreated bullet wound in his leg was just going to get him killed. He knew that he needed to stop the bleeding and bandage his leg and then he had to find some way to throw them off his trail. Gulping several lungfuls of air, he sat up a little, resting on his elbows as he looked around, trying to get at least a slight bearing of where he was. He bit his lip as he found himself at the bottom of a small fern covered embankment, surrounded by trees.

The soft sounds of running water caught his attention and he slowly sat up and turned his head in the direction of the sound of the running water before he quickly turned and looked back up at the top of the small embankment he had just tumbled down as he heard one of his tormentors call out to the other, "Jesse, over here, I’ve got a blood trail and a footprint, he's headed this way!"

Forcing himself back up onto his feet, Johnny swallowed a moan as his leg protested at having to bear his weight as he tried to limp as fast as he could back into the protective cover of the trees and towards the sound of the running water. Bandaging his leg was just going to have to wait until later, now he needed to throw them off his tracks and he needed to throw them off fast.

Stopping to catch his breath as he reached the edge of the small stream, he stared at the fast-flowing water before he looked back over his shoulder. Reassuring himself that the two gunmen weren't standing behind one of the many trees behind him, lining him up for their kill shot, Johnny could not stop himself from gasping in shock at just how icy cold the water was as he turned and waded into the middle of the stream. After taking another desperate glance towards the trees that lined the bank, to reassure himself again that the two men weren't standing there, watching him, he turned and began to head downstream as fast as he could as he fought to keep his balance against the uneven, rocky stream bed and icy water that rushed past him, threatening to topple him with each unsteady step he took in the swirling current.


	7. Chapter 7

Entering the bullpen, Jim paused as he looked across to where his partner was standing in front of the large map of Santa Barbara and the national parks that surrounded the city. Walking across to stand behind the younger man, Jim said softly, “Crockett just called, he’s on his way with DeSoto’s wife and his captain. They should be here in about an hour. Crockett said he’s going to take DeSoto’s wife directly to the hospital. I told him that we will meet them there.” 

Lee nodded silently as he continued to stare at the map.

Frowning as he studied the area of the map where DeSoto had been found close to death earlier this afternoon and where Lee now rested his finger, he added softly, reading his partner’s mind. "Perfect place to do some hunting."

Lee nodded silently again.

"So, what do you think? Maybe, we should get some choppers in the air to have a look, or maybe send in an armed search party to look for Gage?"

Lee shook his head as he continued to worry his lip, deep in thought, staring at the map as he mused softly, "Whoever these guys are, Jim, we both know they are hunters and their favorite prey are humans. And we both know that these guys are smart. Smart enough to trap their potential prey from other cities while leaving no evidence behind. And smart enough to make the kill and all they leave behind is a body, the bullets they used, that we have not been able to trace, and little else." Lee sighed, "But the Captain’s right, they are getting cocky, they are escalating, and they are starting to mess up. They thought they had killed DeSoto and didn't check if he was really dead after the hunt. But no, Jim, even if they are starting to get a little sloppy, we both know that they would spot a helicopter or an armed search party probably before anyone sees them and if they do, Gage is a dead man. But I do have an idea…"

Jim frowned as Lee pushed past him and headed towards the bullpen door, leaving him trailing behind the young detective as he demanded, "What's the idea?"

"We know that there's two of them and we know where their hunting ground is." Lee told Jim over his shoulder as he headed down the corridor towards the elevator.

"Yeah…" Jim frowned, uncertain of where Lee's idea was going, "So?"

"What if the hunters become the hunted?"

"I don't understand…" Jim's frown deepened as he grabbed Lee's arm and stopped him.

Turning back to face the older man, Lee began to explain, "Look Jim, we know these guys are out there, right now, hunting Gage. And we know the general area where."

Jim nodded slowly.

"Now we both know that they would know if we sent in a great big group of armed searchers and they would spot a helicopter flying above, searching for them or Steve. That's even if a helicopter crew could even see through the tree canopy." Jim nodded again in agreement as Lee smiled, "But they wouldn't expect to have two cops, alone, hunting them. We would have not only the ability to search without alerting them we are there but also the element of surprise on our side."

"But that's a lot of area for us to cover, just on our own, Lee, it will be like looking for a needle in a haystack." Jim warned the younger man.

"Yeah, it will, but we know where DeSoto was found. We know DeSoto was on foot when he was shot, and if Gage was with him, the chances are Gage and our hunters are going to be in the same area."

"We also know with the first four victims that they were typically killed in the first twenty-four hours after being grabbed." Lee looked back up at Jim, fear in his eyes as he swallowed hard and continued. "DeSoto was found, barely alive within that twenty-four-hour time period. And this is the first time that we are aware of that they have grabbed two victims at the same time." Jim nodded silently as Lee continued. "Look I know this is going to sound crazy but if my theory is correct, Gage's hunt has already begun and if we don't find him in the next twelve to twenty-four-hours, Gage is going to be the next trophy notch on their guns."

"I still say it's a long shot…" Jim warned Lee.

"It is, but it could be the only chance Gage has, Jim, we both know time is running out and we are spinning our wheels here." He paused as they reached the elevator and he stabbed the button to bring the elevator up to their floor before he turned and looked at his partner and added quietly, “And that’s why we are going to start at the hospital first before we go and talk to Tom. I want to be there when Gage’s and DeSoto’s captain arrives. He might be able to give us an advantage that the killers won’t have.”

“How?” Jim frowned as the elevator bell dinged and the doors slid open.

Stepping inside before turning around and waiting for his partner to join him, Lee hit the button to take them down to the ground floor, watching the doors slide closed before he answered, “Think about it, Jim. Gage may be a paramedic, but he is also a firefighter and who would be most likely to know him best other than his partner– it’s gunna be his captain.

Hell, my brother-in-law is a hose jockey in LA just like Gage, and the guys at his station eat, sleep and work together for forty- eight hours shifts at a time. And he always says that he knows everything about the other guys at his station, he says he has to because he needs to know that it’s the sort of brotherhood, just like ours, where you have to trust the other guys to have his back when they race into a building. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if he does, he’s there more often then he’s home, some weeks.

So, I figure that Gage’s captain’s going to know everything about him, his background, his hobbies, his weaknesses and strengths, if he’s been a city kid all his life or if he has had any experience in the wild, and most importantly just how resourceful he is-”

“And if we can get into Gage’s head-” Jim nodded following his partner’s train of thought as the elevator jerked to a stop.

“It will give us an advantage that these bastards don’t have.” Lee nodded as the elevator doors opened and he stepped out.

E!E!E!E!E!

Slinging his rifle over his shoulder, Jesse Landry knelt on one knee and began to study the broken stem of a fern as he gently fingered its crushed, green leaves and the large, tacky, burgundy droplets that were clinging to them. "He came this way and not too long ago," he announced as he stood back up and carefully looked around, studying the surrounding underbrush and ground. Un-shouldering his rifle, he smiled as his eyes caught the faint imprint of a shoe, the barely discernible blood trail that weaved through the barely visible trail broken ferns and disturbed ground in the almost twilight aura of the forest. Taking a few careful steps forward, he tentatively pushed aside the broken ferns with the butt of his gun and studied the footprints a little closer, chuckling as he did, "Looks like you managed to wing him in the leg." Pointing towards the uneven depth of the footprints, he looked back up at his hunting companion and grinned, "He's limping…limping bad enough to make it easier to track him."

Standing back, silently studying the trail of broken fern stems before looking at torn spiderweb that hung between the two trees, the older man nodded in the direction of the faint sound of running water. "But he's a smart one, I'll give him that. He's headed towards the stream, probably thinks that once he is wading through the water that we will lose his trail." Slapping Jesse on the shoulder, he pushed past him and began to rush through the thick undergrowth, he ordered over his shoulder, "Come on, hurry up, let's have a little bit of fun with him, I'm not ready to end the hunt just yet."


	8. Chapter 8

Hank glanced at the review mirror, watching the young woman who was sitting in the back seat of the police car, staring out of the window, occasionally wiping away the tears that trickled down her face with the back of her hand. Joanne had barely said a word while they had waited for the guys to join them at her home, after they had all raced home to gather enough clothes to last them for a couple of days while they were in Santa Barbara. Her silence had continued during the long two-hour drive. Any attempts he had made at conversation had quickly faded away with polite one or two worded responses. She was terrified and he wasn't sure just what he more he could say to try and reassure her.

Hell, what could he say when he didn't know himself just what had happened or even if Roy and Johnny were still alive? The only information that Crockett had been able to obtain on the drive to Santa Barbara had been scarce, only that was Johnny was still missing and Roy's condition was still extremely critical and unstable. The standard platitudes of Roy is a fighter and he will get through this just didn't seem enough, especially when the man whom both Joanne and Roy now considered a part of their family was still missing. Damn it, Hank swallowed hard, they were all part of his family, but if Emily could, she would happily adopt the youngest member of their team even though John was now a twenty-two-year-old man.

He sighed as his eyes drifted across the mirror until he could see Mike's station wagon that was following closely behind. He resisted the urge to turn around and look through the rear mirror as he saw Chet, sitting in the front passenger seat of Mike's car, waving his hands around as he spoke. He had no doubt that Chet was continuing to demand the answers that they all desperately wanted to know, that Crockett had not been able to give them. Just what had happened to Roy and how the hell had Roy had ended up, critically wounded from not one but two gunshot wounds, in Santa Barbara after responding with Johnny to a call in Carson? And where was Johnny? He returned his attention back to the road as he felt the police car slow before Crockett turned onto the road that took them to the hospital parking lot.

Gliding the car to a gentle stop in a parking space directly across from the hospital entrance doors, Crockett turned off the engine and waited, giving the man beside him a few seconds to gather his thoughts as Hank stared across at the large brick building. He knew the man had a lot of questions, the same questions that he had after the brief phone conversation that he had had with them earlier. Questions he hoped that the two Santa Barbara homicide detectives waiting inside could give them at least a couple of answers to. He waited until the other car pulled up beside them before he turned back to his passengers and asked, "Ready?"

Taking a deep breath, Hank nodded as he reached for the door handle and opened the door before hurrying around to the other side of the car and opening the rear passenger door.

Joanne jumped, blinking in surprise as she suddenly realized that the car was stopped in front of the hospital and Hank was standing beside her open door, "We're here." He told her softly before helping her out of the car as Chet, Marco and Mike hurried across to join them.

E!E!E!E!E!

Standing at the nurse's desk, listening to the surgeon as he began to update them on their victim's condition, Jim nudged Lee as the doors to the ICU opened and a young woman accompanied by five men stepped inside. It didn't take a cop's well-honed instinct for either detective to realize that at least three of the small crowd were the people whom they were waiting for.

Excusing himself, Lee hurried down the corridor to met them, holding his hand out to shake the LA police lieutenant's. The tan suit, matching tie and pale-yellow shirt was a dead give-away and tended to be the standard uniform for police detective's everywhere, even in the bigger cities of Los Angeles. "Lieutenant Crockett, Mrs DeSoto? I'm Detective Lee Rollings," After seeing the Lieutenant nod, he turned and led the small group back to the nurse's station. Tilting his head towards his partner, he continued his introductions, "This is my partner, Jim Thompson." And looking at Joanne, he added gently, "And this is Dr Miller. He's the surgeon who is taking care of your husband."

"Detective Rollings, Detective Thompson, this is Hank Stanley, he is Roy's and John's captain." Crockett introduced Cap, stepping aside as Cap shook the two men's hands as he continued, nodding in Mike's Chet's and Marco's direction. "And these three gentlemen are the other firefighters whom John and Roy work with, Mike Stoker, Chet Kelly and Marco Lopez."

Lee nodded his greeting at the three LA county Station 51 firefighters before he returned his attention back to Joanne. "I'm sure you want an update on your husband's condition."

At Joanne's small nervous nod, he looked at the others, "Why don't we go somewhere a little more private where we can talk."

"Maybe the private waiting room at the end corridor." The surgeon suggested before looking across at the two Santa Barbara detectives and adding, "We shouldn't be disturbed there."

Lee nodded and Jim turned and followed the surgeon down the corridor as Joanne, Cap, Marco, Chet, Mike, and Crockett, glancing into every ICU room they passed, hoping to catch a quick glimpse of Roy, trailed after them.

Holding the door to the waiting room open until the small group had entered and settled themselves nervously on the chairs inside, Dr Mills softly closed the door and walked across to where Rollings and Thompson were sitting before sitting down on the hard plastic chair beside them. "I'm not sure just how much the two detectives have told you," he began looking directly at Joanne, "But your husband was brought in after being found suffering from two gunshot wounds, one high in the leg and the other in the back, in the Los Padros National Park, a little before midday this morning." The surgeon looked down at his hands and sighed, hating being the bearer of bad news but also knowing that the only way to deliver it was to be as honest and truthful, no matter how hard it was for loved ones to hear, rather than leave them with false hopes as he continued, "I'm afraid that your husband's condition is extremely unstable and critical at the moment. One of the bullets went through his leg and thigh, but he managed to slow the bleeding with a tourniquet, but the second bullet I'm afraid has done the most damage. it struck him in the back and nicked his liver before lodging in his intestines. We managed to control the bleeding by temporally packing the liver and repairing the tears in his intestines, but he was too weak for us to do much more." He saw the blood drain out of Joanne's face and heard her soft, frightened gasp as he continued, "We need to wait until he is a little stronger and able to tolerate more surgery before we will take him back to the O.R. I'm not going to lie to you Mrs DeSoto, but I'm afraid that the next twenty-four hours are going to be critical."

Joanne nodded woodenly as she grabbed Cap's hand and held onto it tightly.

"But if Roy can survive the next twenty-four hours?" Marco asked, almost pleadingly, "He's got a chance?"

The surgeon nodded, "Yes, if he can get through the next twenty-four hours, he has a chance."

"But I don't understand?" Chet managed to choke out the two questions that he was desperate to have an answer for after discovering the Roy had been found, shot, and left for dead in the San Padros park almost one hundred miles away, looking across at the three detectives "Roy and Johnny disappeared on a run in Carson this morning, how the hell did he end up here in Santa Barbara and where's Johnny?"

Casting a quick furtive glance at his partner to see if Jim was going to take the lead in answering the question, Lee sighed when his partner remained silent. Taking a moment to decide just how much information about their potential serial killers, he was willing to divulge without potentially compromising their investigation. "We believe that your two paramedics were lured out on a call before being grabbed and transported back to Santa Barbara." He began, choosing his words carefully as he continued. "We don't believe that they were targeted specifically but it was more of a case that they just happened to be the unlucky paramedics who responded to the fake call."

"But why? And by whom?"

"Listen, what we are going to tell you must stay in this room, understand?" Jim cut in firmly as he realized to get the type of information they were going to need, to save the missing paramedic, they were just going to have to trust these men to be totally discreet and be totally honest with them.

Cap, Mike, Chet and Marco traded confused looks before looking across at Crockett who appeared just as bewildered and confused as they were before they looked back and nodded their agreement.

"Over the last six or seven months, we have discovered three other bodies in the Los Padres. The other three victims died of gunshot wounds. And just like Mr DeSoto today, each of the victims' clothing was torn and muddy, almost as if they had been running through the forest." He paused a moment as he realized the Joanne was listening to what he was telling them. His heart went out to the young woman and he looked across at the doctor, suggesting, "Maybe it's better if you took Mrs DeSoto to see her husband now."

Joanne shook her head, "No!" She whispered as her grip on Hank's hand tightened, "No please, I want to know just what happened to my husband today. Please, I have to know. And I have to know what happened to Johnny!"

Nodding, unconvinced the Joanne really needed to hear all the details, Jim continued softly, "Each of the victims were shot with .30-30 caliber weapons."

"Hunting rifles?" Crockett eyes went wide as he began to realize just what type of killer that they might be dealing with.

Lee and Jim nodded. "Our first victim, a local man was found twenty-four hours after he was reported missing seven months ago, not far from where Mr DeSoto was found this morning. Our next two victims, both currently John Does, were found over the last two months. All four victims had all their IDs and any identifying articles of clothing or jewelry striped removed and as I have said each were killed by .30-30 caliber weapons and each appeared to have been running through the forest prior to death."

"A serial killer?" Mike breathed.

Lee shook his head, "No, not just one serial killer, we believe there could be two of them. The forensic guys managed to discover this morning that the rifling on the two of the bullets recovered from your friend and the bullets recovered from two of the other victims were fired from two different guns."

"I don't understand, if they are killing people up here in the Los Padres National Park, then why did the come all the way to Los Angeles to grab my two paramedics?" Cap asked.

"We believe that our first victim, Mike Ridgley, may not have been the only local who were grabbed by these two for their sick hunting game, missing persons records show at least two more local men went missing around the same period but no trace of them has been found. Now we believe these guys are smart, smart enough to know that we would start asking questions if too many locals began to disappear."

"So, you think they have started casting their net out wider, looking for more victims?" Crockett asked.

"And more thrills. We believe that that could be the reason why we haven't been able to identify our other two John Doe's. To be honest we weren't even aware that your two guys were missing when your man was found and even if we were, there's no way we would have connected them with our killers. It was only by searching the DMV for anyone matching his descriptions that we were able to identify him and realized that your other man, John Gage is still somewhere out there in the Los Padres park, probably being hunted by these two animals."

"Then why are you here, why aren't you out there, searching for him?" Chet demanded.

"Chet!" Cap said softly, trying to cool his friend's anger as he tried to push down his own rising fury at the lack of anything being done to find John.

"My partner and I will be." Lee answered, not taking the fireman's anger personally. Damn, who was he kidding! If he were in these guys' shoes and it was Jim who was missing and possibly being hunted down like a wild animal, he would be demanding the same thing. Hell, no, he wouldn't, he would be screaming for the whole national guard to be sent in!

"Wait what do you mean your partner and you will be looking for him?" Joanne asked uncertain if she had heard the man correctly. "Aren't you going to send in a search team? It's still light, what about a helicopter?"

"These killers don't know we are on to them. They made their first mistake and didn't check if your husband was still alive when they left him beside that track. If we send in a full search team and have a helicopter up in the air joining in the search, they are going to know and then your husband's' partner won't have a chance. They won't hunt him; they will kill him on sight and then get the Hell out of there. That's why Jim and I have decided to go in on our own and turn the tables on these two killers. But before we can do that, we need to know everything you can tell us about John." He added softly, "Anything that could help us find him or know just how he might react-"

"You mean, how he might react with two hunters after him?" Chet growled.

Lee nodded, surprising Chet. "Yes, precisely that. We need to know if he's a city boy? If he's had any experience in the wilderness? Just how resilient he is? How well does he react under pressure? Anything at all that can help us get to know John as fast as we can and get inside his head."

"Instead of asking us about Johnny why don't you let us join in the search?" Cap asked softly.

"For the same reasons I told you why we aren't going to send in a full search team yet. Plus, I know you guys are experienced in search and rescues but even so, you're still civilians and there's no way I am going to put you in any danger. These guys are sick killers, and they are escalating. They already decided to hunt two paramedics, think of the jollies they will get if they realize they have three more firemen wandering around their hunting grounds! Now while the doc takes Mrs Desoto to see her husband, are you four going to help us find your friend or not?"

E!E!E!E!E!

Joanne hesitated at the door as the surgeon led her into Roy's intensive care room and her face paled with shock as she stared at the motionless man in the bed. Even from the doorway, she could see Roy's complexion looked a sickly grey against the pristine white sheets that covered the lower half of his body, thick white bandages encircled his waist and what looked like some type of metal cradle had been placed over his legs, keeping the weight of the sheets off them. She was unable to stop herself from shaking with fear as she stared at the bags of solutions that hung above the bed, the IV lines snaking down to disappear into dressings that covered the back of both of Roy's hands. Slowing looking back at Roy in the bed, she felt faint as she noticed the myriad of wires and tubes that were connected to him, an oxygen mask covered the lower half of his face, a tube emerging from under the sheets and disappeared down the other side of the bed and other wires were connected to the heart monitor that softly beeped beside the bed.

Swallowing down the sob that threatened to escape, Joanne slowly walked across the side of the bed before carefully leaning over and gently kissing Roy's cheek, her tears dropping lightly onto his lax face. "I'm here, Roy, I'm not going to leave you." she whispered forcing herself to be strong as she carefully grabbed his hand and sat down on the chair behind her, pulling it closer to the bed.

E!E!E!E!E!E!

Studying the footprint in the mud near the edge of the water, Jesse nodded to himself before he looked up at his hunting companion, "I was right, it looks like he's trying to throw us off his trail. See the footprint in the mud and the disturbed rocks in the stream." Pointing to the half-submerged footprint and the disturbed rocks in the shallow water, he continued, "He entered the water here. I'm betting he must have been a good little Injun scout when he was a kid, 'cause he's headed downstream. He probably thinks that if he heads far enough downstream, we won't be able to find where he gets out." Leaning down, he placed his hand in the flowing water for a minute before straightening up, smiling. "But he's not going to able to stay in the water too long without risking hypothermia. The water's freezing."

Looking up at the darkening, rain laden clouds above them, Cedric frowned, "And it looks like that cold front is moving in faster than they predicted. Looks like it's going to rain." Looking back at his friend, he smiled, "Could make this hunt even more interesting. It's been a while since we hunted in the rain."

"It has been, my friend. So, we better get moving before the rain comes in and washes away his tracks." Jesse grinned as he slapped Cedric on the shoulder before he waded into the freezing stream, holding his gun high over his head, and crossed to the other bank.


	9. Chapter 9

Waiting until the waiting room door closed after the surgeon and Joanne left the room, Lee turned back to the four firemen watching him before he pulled out the map he had placed in the large pocket inside his coat. Carefully pushing the coffee pot and mugs on the table into the corner, he unfolded the hiking map and carefully spread it out as the firemen crowded around him. “This is a map of the Los Padres National Park and the surrounding area.” He began before pointing to the spot where Roy had been found just hours before, “And this is where DeSoto was found, along the side of the Sisquoc River Trail, a little used hiking trail just south of the Lower Bear Camping Ground.” Looking back up at Cap he added, “As you can see the area is quite rough, dotted with hidden crevices and the forest in that area is so thick that we have had a few hikers during the last couple of years who wandered off the trail and got themselves lost. It took us days to find them, that’s when we were lucky enough to find them at all. The trail itself doesn’t usually attract many hikers. It’s been a few years since the Parks Department did any work on it and at the moment it’s too extreme except for the most experienced hikers.”

“The perfect place to hunt someone.” Cap murmured as he studied the contour lines that showed just how rugged the area was.

Jim nodded, “And later this evening it’s going to be even more treacherous than usual, the weather bureau is warning that a cold front with heavy rain and the potential for flooding is moving in and temperature tonight is going to drop low digits and it’s going to drop fast."

“That’s why we need your help." Jim continued, "Anything you can tell us about your man is going to help. The more you can tell us about him, things like, is he a city boy or does he go camping? I know he can work under pressure at a fire and you have all probably done your share of rescues in some pretty isolated areas but being out there in the wilderness, alone, hunted and trying to survive is different. The more we can get in his head and the better idea we will have of just where to start our search for him.”

“Well, I know that Johnny grew up on a reservation in Montana,” Cap began, “And even now he loves being outdoors and one with nature.”

“He goes camping every chance he gets.” Chet cut in. “If anyone can survive out there, it’s Johnny. He’s amazing out in the wild when we go camping. He loves hiking, and he knows everything about the plants and animals around us. He’s even been teaching me how to track.”

“So, he’s an experienced outdoorsman?” Lee asked, relieved that the missing man might just have a chance out there.

Cap nodded.

“Johnny taught you how to track?” Marco whispered, surprised, no longer listening to the conversation taking place around him .

“Yeah, he started to show me some stuff, like how to track, catch small prey like rabbits, and stuff like that, the last couple of times we went camping.” Chet nodded as a small smile of pride slipped momentarily graced his lips, “In fact, Johnny said I was getting good at it.” Chet’s eyes travelled back to the two local detectives standing just in front of him at the table before he grabbed Marco’s arm and pulled him back a couple of steps away from the rest of the men. “Maybe, even good enough for us to be able to track him in that park.”

“But you heard what the detectives said, there’s no way they are going to let us join in the search,” Marco reminded his friend softly.

“You just saw the area they are going to be searching, Marco. We both know that there’s no way just the two of them are going to be able to find Johnny in time.” Marco silently nodded his agreement as Chet continued quietly, “But if there’s four people searching, especially if one of us can track Johnny.”

Marco’s eyes went wide as he realized what Chet was proposing. Casting a quick glance towards the men still huddled around the table deep in conversation about Johnny’s strength and weaknesses, Marco looked back at Chet and whispered “But Cap and the detectives are never going to let us-”

“Who said we’re going to tell them?” Chet breathed softly as he ran his hand over his moustache and eyed the other men again before he looked back at Marco, “Are you coming or not?”

Taking a last glance at Cap and Mike, Marco had no doubts that Johnny would do the same thing for any of them if they were the ones being hunted. Turning back to Chet, he nodded and whispered, “Okay, let’s go.”, before he followed Chet quietly out of the room.

Feeling more confident about their chances of finding Gage alive, Lee folded up the map after he gathered as much information about the missing paramedic as he could, placing it back under his arm before he looked up and thanked Crockett and the firemen for all their help, promising them that he and Jim would do their best to find their friend.

Cap nodded as he watched Crockett and the two Santa Barbara detectives turn and walk out the small waiting room, closing the door behind them. Turning back to Mike, Chet and Marco, he was shocked to only find Mike still standing there, “Where did Chet and Marco go?” he frowned.

“I saw them slipped out about a minute ago,” Mike paused before he turned and looked at the closed door before looking back at Hank, his eyes narrowing with suspicion, “You don’t think that-”

“If they have, I’m going to kill them,” Cap growled as he turned and hurried towards the door, muttering angrily over his shoulder, “And then after I kill them, I am going to have them both doing latrine duty clean using toothbrushes for the next twelve months!”

“Where are you going?” Mike asked.

“After those two twits before they end up becoming two sickos’ prey in their hunting game!”

“Wait a minute, Hank,” Mike called, hurrying to catch up as Hank disappeared out of the room, “I’m coming with you.”

E!E!E!E!E!E!

Climbing out of the hire car they had rented, Chet pulled up the zipper of his jacket against the cold before he walked around to the front of the car and spread out the large map they had bought after entering the San Padre National Park on the hood.

Rubbing his hands together to try and warm them up a little, Marco zippered up his own winter jacket before he climbed out of the car and joined his friend at the front of the car. "Looks like that late season cold front they were warning about is starting to roll in faster than they predicted, and we only have about two or three hours of daylight left if we're lucky and this rain holds off. If we're going to find Johnny, we better find him soon. It's going to get cold and it's going to get cold fast." Marco sighed as he watched Chet studied the map before the other man looked up and around at the solid wall of trees that ringed the small clearing where they had just parked and then returned his attention back to the map spread out in front of him. Looking up at the threatening dark clouds that were beginning to roll over the treetops, Marco frowned as he returned his attention back to Chet who had begun to fold up at map again and frowned, "So, where do you want to start?"

Walking around to the rear of the car, Chet opened the boot before grabbing one of the backpacks packed with food, water, flashlights and the first aid supplies that they had bought in Santa Barbara and slipping the map inside one of the backpack outer pockets, slung it over his shoulder. Grabbing another similarly packed backpack he handed it across to Marco before slamming the boot closed again and turning back to his friend. Tilting his head towards the trees just a short distance away from where they were standing as he announced softly. "According to what told us, this has to the spot where Roy was found this morning."

Marco nodded as he turned and looked at the spot on the side of isolated rugged dirt track that many would describe more of a little used, rough goat track, than a hiking trail where their critically injured friend was discovered by hikers just hours before. It had only been sheer luck that Roy had been found, the hiking trail was so rough that all but the most experience hikers avoided it.

Looking across at Chet, Marco asked, “Okay Chet, you’re the tracker here, so where do we start?”

"Well, I figure we start there and see if we can backtrack Roy's movements." Chet answered slowly, no longer feeling anywhere near as confident as he was back at the hospital when he told Marco his plans to search for Johnny on his own, that he would be able to read or recognize any tracks they found before he led the way to the spot where they had found Roy.

Reaching the spot marked by an area of crushed grass and the remnants of litter from the medical dressings used by the Santa Barbara paramedics as they had tried to stabilize Roy, Chet stopped and carefully looked around. He frowned, concentrating as he searched for any little sign that would show just where Roy had emerged from the forestry. A small triumphant smile graced his lips as he noticed the small, broken fern frond and the small red droplet that still clung to one of its leaves. Hurrying across to it, he knelt and carefully fingered the sticky red droplet before lifting his fingers to his nose. His nose crinkled a little as he recognized the faint metallic odor of blood. Letting his hand loosely drop back down to his side as he stood up again, he continued to carefully study the undergrowth and the muddy ground leading back into the forest before he suddenly grabbed the straps to his backpack and adjusted them again as he suddenly headed into the forest, calling to the others back over his shoulder, "This way."

Hesitating a heartbeat before following Chet, Marco frowned, "Are you sure?"

"Positive," Chet answered more confidently than he was feeling a few minutes before as he pushed his way through the undergrowth and began to backtrack the almost invisible trail left by Roy.

E!E!E!E!E!E!

Joanne sat up higher on the chair, uncertain if she had imagined Roy's soft, breathy moan of his partner's name.

"J…j…johnny…"

Roy's weak, desperate call for Johnny told her that it had not been her imagination at all, Roy was calling for his partner. Rising quickly from her chair, Joanne leaned over Roy, one hand lightly squeezing the hand she held as her other hand gently brushed the side of his face, alarmed at how hot it felt as she whispered, "Roy… Roy, can you hear me?" She waited a moment, hoping for some sort of indication that he had heard her, before she squeezed his hand again and begged a little louder, "Please, Roy, try and open your eyes or squeeze my hand for me."

Her heart began to beat faster as she felt Roy's fingers twitch slightly before they slowly curled around her hand. She swallowed down a sob and blinked away the tears that blurred Roy's face as she watched Roy's eyelashes flutter before she saw a small slit of blue peek out from between them as Roy turned his head and tried to focus on her face. "Roy?"

"J…j…joanne?"

"Yeah Roy, it's me." Joanne weakly smiled through the tears, squeezing his hand a little tighter. "I'm here. You're safe now, you're going to be fine."

"Johnny?... Where's Johnny…" Roy's soft terrified whisper was barely audible above the beeps of the heart monitor as the small green blip raced across its screen as Roy's eyes panned the room, growing more agitated and restless as he couldn't see the man he was desperately looking for.

"They are looking for him, Roy." Joanne tried to reassure him as her tears began to fall freely as she gently caressed Roy’s hot, damp face as the heart monitor alarm suddenly went off and echoed throughout the room.

"J...Johnny...Johnny!" Roy continued to call desperately as the nurse hurried into the room and crossed to the side of the bed, glancing at her agitated patient before she looked up at the heart monitor and hit the button, silencing the alarm.

"Easy, Mr DeSoto, easy. You need to relax." The nurse tried to sooth him as she gently bumped Joanne out of the way with her hip and reached for the nurse call button, pressing it. Reaching for the thermometer, she slipped it into Roy’s mouth before she reached for the blood pressure cuff and wrapped it around his arm as she asked Joanne over her shoulder, "What happened?"

Joanne shook her head, her clutching her hands tightly together in front of her chest as she stared at Roy who now seemed to be struggling to breathe." I…I don't know… he was asleep and then…"

The nurse nodded silently as she put the stethoscope into her ears and quickly began to bump up the blood pressure cuff, frowning and she released the air and listened. Her frowned deepened as she re-inflated the cuff and took the reading again before she straightened up and removed the stethoscope from her ears.

"Meryl, what's happening?" Another nurse asked from the doorway.

"I'm not sure." Meryl answered as she adjusted the flow of oxygen and removed the thermometer from beneath Roy's arm, glancing at the mercury before she looked across at her colleague who had hurried across to the side of the bed, "He's agitated, BP's …" She paused a moment as her eyes travelled to the anxious young woman standing next to her still holding the patient's hand, before she continued more softly, "BP's low, and he's running a fever."

"Peritonitis?" the nurse asked softly.

Meryl nodded, "Or sepsis. But whatever it is, you better page Dr Miller, stat."

The nurse nodded and hurried out of the room as Meryl turned back to her patient who continued to call for his partner, gently pushing him back down against the pillows as he tried to sit up. "Just try and relax, Mr DeSoto, I'm sure the other officers are out there right now searching for him. But I need you to try and settle down and concentrate on your breathing. Do you think you can do that for me?"

"Johnny…" Roy called out again as he struggled against the nurse's gentle restraint.

"Shh, Babe, it’s okay, the guys are going to find him." Joanne whispered as she stepped closer to the bed again and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly, "And they’re not going to stop searching for Johnny until they do. But you need to rest and get better.”

"I'm sorry but we need you to leave now."

Joanne jumped as she felt two soft hands grab her shoulders as a nurse gently guided her from the room as it filled with medical staff. Standing at the door as she watched the frantic activity of the medical staff who now surrounded Roy. She was unable to stop the sob that escaped as she wrapped her arms around herself as she felt her world start to crumble around her. After she had married Roy, she had tried to prepare herself for that one day that she knew and feared deep down that she might be told that Roy had been killed in the line of duty. She had always known there was a chance that he could be killed in a fire or a building collapse, but she never expected something like this. Turning to stare at the staff who were rushing in and out of Roy’s ICU room. Her hands travelled down to cradle the small life that she had excitedly discovered was growing inside her only a few short hours before, she wasn’t sure if she was strong as she knew she needed to be, not only for Roy, but for Chris, Johnny and the new baby as well.


	10. Chapter 10

Searching the muddy bank for any sign of disturbance as he moved along the edge the forest that lined both sides of the stream, Jesse ignored the sudden heavy shower of rain that drowned out most of the sounds around him and washed the bank clean of any prints that might be present, whether made by animal or man. Looking across the fast-flowing stream, he called to Cedric, "Any sign of him yet?"

The older hunter shook his head, "No, he must still be somewhere ahead."

Jesse nodded as he turned and studied the underbrush in front of him before he looked back and peered as far as he could around the bend in the stream. A wide grin spread across his face as he saw the dark shape of a man in the middle of the stream through the pouring rain. Turning back towards the other side of the creek, he waved his arm to get Cedric's attention before he pointed towards the figure he could see ahead in the stream. He saw Cedric nod and hurry towards the bend, he unslung his rifle from his shoulder, quickly checking that there was a live round in the chamber. Silently moving into the dark shadows of the trees that lined his side of the bank to help hid himself from the paramedic in the middle of the stream, he moved a little closer before he raised his gun and carefully lined up his target, adjusting the sight slightly as he zoomed in on his prey.

The sudden and unexpected heavy down pour of freezing rain, momentarily startled Johnny as he waded through the water. Looking back over his shoulder, through the now heavily falling rain, Johnny wasn't sure just how far he had come or how long he had been wading downstream in the frigid water, all he knew was he was cold, so cold that he could barely feel anything below where the fast-flowing water came up to his waist. He was unable to stop his teeth from chattering as he paused and looked over his shoulder, searching for any signs of the two hunters. He knew that they would not have fallen for his attempt to throw them off his trail for long and were probably already following the stream downstream.

Listening hard, he thought he heard two faint voices calling to each other over the sound of the now heavily falling rain and the water rushing around him. Looking around, he desperately searched for a safe place to climb out of water, he needed to hide before they caught up with him and he needed plan. Spotting a large, flat rock on the side of the bank, he changed his direction and fighting against the strong current that threatened to topple him and pull him under the icy water if he took a misstep, he waded as fast as his wounded leg would allow him could towards it. He prayed that the rock combined the heavy rain would leave no discernible evidence that he had left the safety of the stream, hopefully forcing the two men hunting him to have to backtrack to find where he had emerged from the stream. And maybe, just maybe, it would give him enough time to get some distance and enough time to make a plan on just how he was going to survive this hunt between him and his hunters before they found his tracks and started hunting him again.

Reaching the flat rock at the edge of the stream, Johnny took several small tentative steps before he turned and looked down, relieved to find that the rain was washing away any sign that he had emerged from the stream. The rain made it hard to see anything or anyone who might be standing in the dark shadows of the trees on the other bank. Turning back towards the thick forest, he took another two unsteady steps towards it before a loud gunshot rung out from somewhere behind him and he felt something slam into the back of his right shoulder, sending white hot shards of agony through his chest and down his arm to his fingertips as he was thrown to the ground.

Standing in the shadows of the other bank, Jesse slowly lowered his gun and smiled with satisfaction. Hell, his aim was good, he had no doubts that he could easily shoot the eye out of a gnat if he wanted to. He chuckled with delight as he watched the Injun crawl to his knees, using just his left arm before he struggled back up to his feet and, clutching his right arm closely, staggered unsteadily out of sight.

E!E!E!E!E!E!

"Damn it, it's a mess in here," the surgeon muttered, his nose wrinkling as a strong odor assaulted it, as he swabbed more of the bloody, puss-filled gore away. "More suction!" he ordered as he glanced across at the nurse who nodded her acknowledgement before he looked across at the anaesthetist. "How's his blood pressure?"

"70/40 and dropping," the anaesthetist answered as he quickly adjusted the flow of the gasses to the mask covering Roy's mouth and nose and nervously watched the green dot on the heart monitor as it danced across the screen, spiking with an occasional, irregular beat.

"There it is!" the surgeon murmured as he carefully rolled the intestine in his hand and finally found the small leaking tear before demanding the needle and thread and carefully began to stitch.

"Ok, I've just finished suturing the tear, I'm just going to remove the contaminated dressings and repack the dressings in his liver," the surgeon warned the anaesthetist, aware that even though it was risky, it needed to be done, "then we can get him washed out and close up as fast as we can."

The anaesthetist nodded as he turned and adjust the combination of gasses before he glanced back at the heart monitor.

After quickly pulling out the wad of blood drenched cotton swaps from Roy's liver and replacing them with fresh ones, the surgeon looked across at the nurse as he ordered, "Okay, let's get another bag of blood up and start washing him out with three litres of warm normal saline…"

"Whatever you're doing, you better do it fast," the anaesthetist warned as he adjusted the oxygen flow before he returned his attention back to the heart monitor, monitoring it closely, "Because he's not going to tolerate being under much longer. BP is dropping and he's starting to throw pvc's."

"Just a few minutes more…" the surgeon murmured distractedly as he concentrated on washing out the contaminated fluid from around his patient's intestines, nodding at the nurse for more suction.

"You better hurry up, 'cause we're losing him…" the anaesthetist announced as the green blip on the heart monitor danced erratically across the screen before it suddenly changed into a continuous green line as the heart monitor alarm began to echo around the operating room.

E!E!E!E!E!E!

“Damn it!” Lee cursed as he gently coasted his car to a stop behind the red Dodge Challenger that looked so out of place beside the trail that led to their crime scene. “What the hell is that doing here?”

“Do you think it could be hikers?”

“I hope to God it’s not!” Lee frowned, his stomach flipping at the thought of some innocent hikers unknowingly walking into what potentially could be a death zone, as he reached for the radio mic and requested a registration tag check.

Opening the car door, Jim climbed out and across to the other car, peering into the windows as they waited for dispatch to respond with the car registration details. Straightening back up as he heard another car coming along the road, he turned and watched as a wood panelled station wagon appeared around the curve and slowed down before pulling up behind their car. Walking back towards the car that had just pulled up, he was surprised as Captain Stanley and one of the other firemen, Stocker…no, Stoker, Mike Stoker, that was his name, climbed out and hurried towards him. “Captain Stanley, Mike, what are you doing here?” he asked surprised just as he heard his own car radio crackle back into life behind him and he heard Margie at Dispatch tell Lee that the car belong to Avis Rent A Car and had been hired out just over an hour before to…

“Either Chet Kelly or Marco Lopez.” Hank told Jim, overhearing the call, a heartbeat before Margie confirmed the car had indeed been hired out to a man named Chet Kelly from Carson, Los Angeles. “We realized after you left that they must have left the meeting before it was finished without anyone noticing.” He began slowly as he saw Lee slowly hang up the mic and poked his head around the door, as he continued, “And we suspect…”

“That since we told Kelly, it was Kelly. wasn’t it?” Lee asked softly, continuing as Hank sighed and nodded, “And since we told Kelly that you couldn’t join in the search, that he and Lopez would search on their own.”

Mike glanced uncomfortably towards his captain as Hank reluctantly nodded again.

“Great! That’s just _great_!” Lee growled angrily as he climbed out of his car and slammed the door closed before waving his hand towards the trees that surrounded them in frustration. “Not only do we now have two serial killers somewhere out here who are getting their jollies by hunting and murdering humans, but now instead of just one victim to try and find and rescue with only a couple of hours of daylight left if we’re lucky and a cold front that’s moving in faster than predicted, we now potentially have three! Just how the Hell did they think they were helping?”

Mike winced at the detective’s justifiable anger as Hank said softly. “Look, I’m as angry at the two of them as you and when we find them, you can kill the two twits after I do! But as you just pointed out, there’s only a couple of hours of daylight left and a cold front that’s moving in faster than anyone anticipated. And we all know that if these two hunters get my three men in their sights, there’s no way that the two of you are going to be able to treat and rescue them before it gets dark on your own, that if you are even able to find them. Look, we all know now that you are going to need help. Look, these are my guys out there, please let us help you find them before these killers do. We both have some basic medical training and before you ask, I might not know how to track, hunt and I might not be able to survive in the wild as well as Johnny can, but I have led a few boy scout hiking and camping trips, so I know the basics about hiking.”

“And I been hiking and camping, myself.” Mike added softly.

Jim eyed the two men closely before he turned to Lee and sighed, “You know he’s right, Lee, you know that there’s no way that we are going to be able to do this on our own, not now, not with three potential victims to search for.” Looking up at the sky before looking back at his partner, he added quietly, “And not with the cold front rolling in as fast as it is. I’m betting the river and streams are already rising, wouldn’t be surprised if its already raining hard upstream.”

Lee sighed before he looked at Jim and reluctantly nodded his agreement, “You’re right, I guess we don’t really have much choice now!” Turning looked back at Hank and Mike, he pointed his finger at them as he warned them, “Ok, you can help, but you stick to us like glue, understand? You do what we tell you when we tell you to!” Cap and Mike nodded their agreement as Lee looked across at Jim and added, “I guess we are going to have to go easy on our supplies, now there are four of us.”

“There’s no need to,” Mike announced, tilting his head in the direction of his station wagon. “We brought our own.”

“Well, what are you waiting for, grab it!” Jim ordered them as Mike turned and hurried back to his car before opening the rear door and pulling out two full backpacks, handing one to his captain before shouldering into his. Turning back to Lee, he smothered a smile, just as aware as his partner that if they had not been here before the two firemen arrived, they would have had four firemen somewhere out there on their own, searching for their missing friend, instead of two. Hurrying back to the boot of his own car, he shrugged into his own backpack that Lee handed him before accepting the scoped hunting rifle. After doing his customary check to ensure that the weapon was loaded and ready to use as his partner shrugged into his own backpack and checked his own scoped hunting gun, Jim slammed the boot closed before he turned back to Hank and Mike just as the first heavy rain drops fell and announced, “Ok, let’s get going!”

E!E!E!E!E!E!

Stopping as Chet knelt to lightly fingered the partially water-filled muddy footprint, which was half hidden by leaf litter, Marco adjusted heavy backpack he was carrying as he looked around at the trees that surrounded them before he looked up at slivers of ominous dark clouds that peeked through the canopy. They had been hiking for over an hour and even though it was still mid-afternoon, the light in the forest was fading, casting everything into an almost twilight aura and making it hard to see too far through the trees surrounding them. Looking back around at the dark forest surrounding them, he frowned as he saw a small flash of blue amongst the green ferns. Looking back at Chet, who was now studying a broken fern frond, he swallowed hard before he asked, "Didn’t the cop say that the hunters had removed Roy’s shirt?"

Startled by Marco's question, Chet looked up and frowned as he tried to remember what the officers had told them. "Umm, yeah, I think so.”

“Do you also remember if they said they thought Roy’s shirt was removed before or after the hunt?”

“I don’t think they knew.” Chet’s frown deepened with confusion and he rose to his feet as Marco turned and began to push his way through the ferns, "Why?"

Reaching the spot less than twenty feet from the trail they had been following, Marco pushed the ferns aside, his heart sinking as he looked back at Chet and announced softly, "We've got a body over here."

Chet felt the blood drain out of his face as he forced himself to ask, "Is it Johnny?"

"I don't know," Marco answered as he knelt and pushed more ferns aside exposing a body lying face down in the leaf litter. His felt his heart miss several beats as he saw the blood matted black hair and blue shirt stained red with the blood from two bullet wounds in the man's back. Reaching down, he gently rolled the body over, releasing his breath as he looked back at Chet. "It's not him."

"He's only a kid!" Chet breathed as he reached Marco and peered over Marco's shoulder at the body.

Marco swallowed hard and nodded, "He can’t be much older than sixteen years old.”

Chet’s hands tightened into tight fists or rage as he stared down at the boy’s sightless gaze. “What king of bastard uses a young kid as prey?”

“The same type who kidnap two paramedics from LA for their sick games!” Marco sighed, gently closing the young boy's eyes, before whispering in Spanish something that Chet thought was a soft prayer as it began to rain.

Closing his eyes, Chet lowered his head as he began his own silent prayer for the young boy, but the prayer was quickly forgotten as he heard what he thought sounded like a distant gunshot, muffled by the now heavy rain. Snapping his head up and looking in the direction of the shot, he asked, "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah," Marco nodded as he quickly rose to his feet and adjusted the rifle on his shoulder, "That sounded like a gunshot and it sounded like it came from somewhere north of us."

"Yeah," Chet agreed as he forgot the trail he was following and began to push through the undergrowth towards the direction that he thought that the gunshot had come from with Marco following closely behind.

"Think it could be the hunters?" Marco asked as he lifted his hand to push a branch out of the way.

"Yeah," Chet answered over his shoulder as he placed a hand on top of a fallen tree and jumped over it, "And it sounds like the hunt is still going on."

E!E!E!E!E!E!

Wading as fast as he could back across the stream, Jesse laughed with delight as he reached the other bank and high fived his friend. "I got him!"

"Ya got him?" Cedric asked, excitedly, looking towards the forest where he had seen the paramedic disappear. "You sure?"

"Yeah, just winged him a little more, to slow him down a bit." Jesse grinned, reloading his gun before he turned and hurried to where he had seen Johnny disappear into the tree line as he called over his shoulder, "So come on, will ya, before he manages to get away!"


	11. Chapter 11

Looking up from the magazine that she had been trying to read for the last hour as the waiting room door open, Joanne dropped the magazine on the chair beside her before she rose to her feet as the surgeon, still dressed in his operating scrubs, entered. Hurrying across to meet him halfway across the room, Joanne asked, anxiously, "How is he?"

"How about we take a seat," the surgeon suggested softly, tilting his head towards the chairs against the wall before he gently grabbed Joanne by her arm and led her back to the chair she had just vacated. Waiting until Joanne sat down before sitting down on the chair beside her and angling it towards her, the surgeon removed his surgical hat from his head and tugged the mask around his neck free, before clearing his throat as he prepared himself to deliver the heartbreaking news.

"Doctor Miller…Roy is okay, isn't he?" Joanne stared fearfully at the surgeon, her fear of losing Roy evident on her face as she found herself desperately begging, "Please, tell me…that he's made it through the surgery… he has, hasn't he?"

Nodding slowly, the surgeon began slowly, "Yes, he made it through surgery but I'm afraid that his condition has been downgraded from critical to critical and unstable." He waited a moment to allow Joanne a moment to digest what he had just told her before he continued gently. "Your husband was bleeding internally and when we went back in, we found a small tear in his intestine that we missed the first time we went in. We were able to repair it but unfortunately the small tear allowed some of the contents from his intestine to spill out and caused a massive infection which has passed into his bloodstream. We washed out as much of the contamination as we could and have started him on massive doses of antibiotics to try and control the infection but I'm afraid-"

"It might not be enough." Joanne whispered, her face draining of color, as she unconsciously reached for Johnny's hand only to remember that he was not there, Johnny was missing.

Miller nodded slowly before he asked gently, "I understand that your husband's catholic?"

Joanne nodded woodenly. "He…umm… I mean, well neither of us are really practising Catholics. I mean, we go to church on Sundays but…"

The surgeon nodded in understanding, "I don't think that will matter at all. Would you like me to contact a priest?"

Staring at the doctor in confusion, it took several long seconds before Joanne realized what he was asking. Unable to stop herself from shaking as her world fell apart around her, Joanne wrapped her arms around herself as she managed another weak nod.

Gently squeezing Joanne's arm, the surgeon nodded, "I will give our local priest a call and tell him what's happening. Is there anyone one else I can call to come and stay with you?"

Joanne shook her head. "I'm okay," she lied, forcing herself to brush away her tears. She had to stay strong, not only for Roy but for Johnny as well. She couldn't risk losing Johnny as well just because she wanted someone to be by her side, instead of letting them search for him. Taking a deep shuddering breath, she looked at the surgeon and asked, "Can … can I see him?"

Gently squeezing her arm, a little tighter, Miller nodded, "Of course you can. He should be settled back in his room by now, I will take you to him."

E!E!E!E!E!

Blinking away the tears of pain as he stumbled into the protection of the trees, Johnny paused for a minute, hugging his right arm closely to his chest as he looked around, trying to find somewhere to hide. Behind him he could hear the two hunters laughing and high fiving each other. Looking back towards the stream as the voices came closer, he could see little through the dim light of the forestry and the heavily falling rain.

Turning back, he desperately looked around again. Spotting a dark hole amongst the ferns as he heard the voices coming closer, he dove into it, landing on his injured shoulder as he slid down the small, waterlogged bank. Coming to a stop in a water filled ditch hidden beneath the ferns, he rested his head on his arm and closed his eyes, taking several shuddering deep breaths as the world around him faded to grey and his stomach threatened to rebel as his arm and back throbbed with an intensity that he had never felt before. Hearing voices coming closer somewhere above him, he forced himself to open his eyes and looked up through the curtain of ferns above him.

He froze as he saw the two men stop and study the rain-soaked ground and the wet undergrowth around them near the ditch in which he was hiding before they turned away and began to curse the rain and complained to each other about how it was washing away the Injun's blood trial and tracks as they proceeded to move further on, still searching for a sign that he was still somewhere ahead of them. Releasing his breath, he waited until the two men moved out of sight before he began to wriggle backwards through the water filled ditch as quickly and quietly as he could until he was satisfied that it was safe enough to get to his feet. Ignoring the dizziness, light-headedness, and the warm wetness that he could feel trickling down his back and the back of his leg, he turned and rose unsteadily to his feet. Clutching his arm tightly to his chest, he began to follow the ditch, slipping and sliding in the water that flowed around his ankles as he hobbled back towards the stream, desperate to put as much distance as he could between him and the two men by using the rain to cover his tracks before the rain stopped.

Reaching the edge of the stream, he was surprised with just how fast the water had risen in just the last few minutes because of the heavy rain. He hesitated and stared at the now strong flowing current and the fast-swirling eddies that now flowed over the flat rock before he looked across at the other bank. Maybe ... if he could get across to the other side of the stream...

Looking back at the swirling water before he turned and looked over his shoulder, he sighed, deciding that he had no other choice as he turned back and stepped unsteadily back into the swirling maelstrom of the freezing, fast flowing water as he began to head towards the safety of the other bank.

E!E!E!E!E!

Kneeling, Jesse frowned as he stared at the undisturbed ground before he looked up and studied the vegetation that surrounded them. He had expected that some of the signs that the Injun had passed by this way to have been washed away by the heavy rain but there were no tracks at all. There were no upturned rocks, no broken blades of grass or broken fern fronds, in fact, there was nothing at all to indicate that their victim had even passed this way. "The damn Injun has managed somehow to give us the slip." Jesse sighed as he rose to his feet and looked around again.

Adjusting his rifle on his shoulder, his partner turned and stared back in the direction they had just come. "He's a cunning one, I'll give him that. I'm willing to bet that he somehow managed to circle back on us and he is headed back towards the stream." Looking back at Jesse, he chuckled, unable to resist some light teasing that he knew would get a rise out of the younger man, "Maybe you didn't wing him both times as well as you thought you did."

"I winged him! I winged him just enough to slow him down but keep the hunt interesting!" Jesse huffed as he took off his hat and after wiping the rain from his face, peered through the twilight light of the forestry surrounding them, back in the direction that they had just come. Shoving his hat back down hard on his head, he shouldered roughly past his hunting buddy as he began to hurry back in the direction that they had just come, noisily pushing through the undergrowth, as he growled in annoyance, "Come on, before he makes it back to the stream and we lose him again."

Cedric shook his head as he ran to catch up, "Relax, will ya, and slow down! And for Christ sake, stop making so much Goddamn noise! Even if he does make it back to the stream, there's no way he's going to make it to the other side. With all this rain, the stream is going to be too swollen for him to attempt to cross back over. He's trapped on this side. There's no way he's going to be able to get away, especially if it keeps raining like this. So just relax and enjoy the hunt, will ya!"

E!E!E!E!E!

Following Chet through the thick undergrowth, Marco could hear the sound of rushing water growing closer. "Are you sure this is the direction the shot come from?" he asked breathlessly, over the noise of the heavy rain.

"Positive!" Chet called back over his shoulder as he continued to push his way through the thick wet ferns and low hanging branches. "I'm sure it come from somewhere up ahead!"

Marco paused, trying to catch his breath, as he glanced down at his watch, lifting his arm closer to his face in an attempt to see the hands in the fading light. They had less than two hours of sunlight left, even less if the heavy rain had settled in. And even if they did find Johnny, the chances were that they would have to make camp for the night, it would be almost impossible to find their way back to the car in the dark.

"Johnny!"

Marco looked up as he heard Chet's shout and he ran to catch up with his friend, catching up with him, just as Chet pushed through the branches and ferns that lined the now fast flowing and swollen stream. He gasped with surprise as he saw the familiar figure in the middle of the stream, battling the strong torrent of swiftly rising water.

E!E!E!E!E!

Roughly breaking off the blood stained, crushed fern frond, Jesse glared down into the dark recesses of the ditch that was half hidden in the fading light by the screen of ferns. Looking back up at Cedric, he sighed as he handed him the blood-stained frond before rising to his feet. "The blood's still tacky on the bottom side of the leaves. You right, he probably dove into the ditch when he heard us coming and is trying to make his way back to the stream."

The older man nodded as he pushed the ferns covering the ditch apart and studied the water at the bottom of the shallow hollow before releasing the ferns and looking back across at his hunting buddy. "With the amount of water down there, it would have made it slow going for him. So, I doubt that he's gotten too far ahead. I am willing to bet we can cut him off before he reaches the stream." Tilting his head towards Jesse's rifle, he suggested, "Maybe you could even give him some gentle persuasion to stay on this side of the stream if he decides to try and cross it."

"A couple of well-placed shots should do the trick, maybe even another round in the shoulder, or maybe his side, if he doesn't take the hint." Jesse grinned as he turned and hurried towards the sound of the rushing water.

E!E!E!E!E!E!

Johnny gasped in shock as he took another step into the rushing water. The water which had only came up to his waist only half an hour before, now reached his chest and was rising, threatening to topple him beneath its churning surface with every step he took. Struggling to stay on his feet, he turned and looked over his shoulder, searching for any sign of his tormentors.

"Johnny!"

He thought he heard the faint call of his name over the heavy rain and the rushing water around him. Turning back towards the other bank, he squinted, trying to see through the heavy sheets of rain. He stared in surprise as two familiar looking figures emerged from the tree line. "Chet! Marco!" he breathed with relief as he quickly took a small, unsteady step towards them.

He wasn't sure if he lost his footing on the slippery rocks beneath his feet, if his wounded leg had finally given out beneath him or if the rushing water had finally managed to knock him off his feet, but whatever had happened he was now trapped beneath the water. Tumbling and sliding against the stream's rocky surface, he tried desperately to regain his footing. He managed to get his head above water long enough to be able to take a gasp half a breath of air before he was violently pulled under again.

"Johnny!" Chet yelled in horror as he saw Johnny trip and disappear beneath the swiftly flowing water. Quickly shrugging out of his backpack and dropping it onto the ground he waded out as fast as he could into the freezing fast flowing water. Diving in when the water reached his hips, he began to swim, allowing the current to help propel him towards Johnny as he saw Johnny's head and arm appear momentarily above the water before disappearing again beneath the swirling maelstrom ahead of him.

E!E!E!E!E

Reaching the edge of the forest, Jesse came to a sudden stop just within the protection of the trees, quickly lifting his rifle as he began to carefully line up his target in the middle of the stream as he whispered, "Got him. He's trying to make it across to the other side."

Stepping, so he was standing shoulder to shoulder with Jesse, Cedric stared at the Injun and shook his head. It never ceased to amaze him just how much desperation would cause a man to take the most dangerous and wildest chances to escape when they were being hunted, foolish chances that they would normally shy away from. It was that reason that made hunting a man far more interesting and exciting than hunting any other animal. That and when the human prey realized that escape was just an impossible dream, the different attempts they would inevitably try to make to turn the tables on the hunter.

A muffled shout above the loud roar of the water and the heavy rain, yanked Cedric out of his momentary musings and he stared in surprise as two men, carrying heavy backpacks, unexpectedly emerged from the tree line on the other bank and called out to the Injun in the middle of the stream.

He frowned. The two men were definitely not your run of the mill, everyday hikers who had just accidentally stumbled into the hunt, they knew the paramedic by name. They had to be cops looking for their prey.

Quickly pushing the barrel of Jesse's rifle down in a silent order for Jesse not to take his shot. He waited until Jesse lowered his gun and looked up at him in annoyance as Jesse asked, "What the Hell?" before he pointed out the two figures on the other bank.

"Do you think they're cops?" Jesse whispered, squinting in an attempt to get a better look.

"Yeah, they're cops all right, I can smell them from here."

"Just how the Hell did they even know he was here?" Jesse growled in a combination of confusion and anger.

"Doesn't matter how, they're here now! And there ain't no way I'm gunna let them leave here alive anyway!" Cedric hissed softly as his attention quickly returned to the man in the middle of the flooded stream just as the wounded paramedic slipped and disappeared beneath the swirling water.

Returning his attention to the two men on the other bank, he grinned as one of the men quickly shrugged off his heavy backpack and rushed into the water in a desperate attempt to save his drowning friend. Watching the two men in the water disappear around the bend of the flooded stream while their companion grabbed the dumped backpack off the ground and tried to follow, slipping, and sliding along the slippery back, Cedric turned and slapped Jesse on the back, laughing with, as they stepped out of the shelter of the trees and onto the bank, "Well, Jess, looks like this hunt just got a whole lot more challenging and fun! It's just been upgraded from just hunting one sneaky Injun paramedic to also now hunting two of his cop friends as well."


	12. Chapter 12

Chet caught a quick glimpse Johnny's head and arm pop above the turbulent water just ahead of him. Swimming harder, he reached Johnny just as the younger man disappeared back under. Snagging the back of Johnny's white undershirt, he managed to pull Johnny back up to the churning surface, ignoring Johnny's panicked attempts to push him away. Trying to be heard over the roaring sound of the water that surrounded them, he yelled, "It's okay Johnny, I've got you, man, I've got you! Just relax and let me do all the work of getting us back to the bank." He felt Johnny relax a little as he rolled Johnny onto his back before he wrapped his arm securely around Johnny's chest and began to swim diagonally across the strong current towards the calmer waters near the bank and safety.

E!E!E!E!E!

Keeping his eye on the two figures in the water and the man also following them on the opposite bank Cedric darted through the trees, with Jesse close on his heels, as he tried to keep up with them. Cedric saw their prey disappear beneath the water before briefly reappearing over a minute or two later, further downstream, as one of the men, who he had already decided could only be cops, they definitely weren't hikers, swam desperately towards the Injun, trying to save him. Cedric paused a minute and watched as Chet reached the drowning man just as Johnny disappeared beneath the churning water again, pulling him back above the surface before swimming with him towards the other bank.

With a short burst of speed, catching Jesse by surprise, Cedric suddenly took off running again, jumping nimbly over a fallen tree log, and moving deftly through the underbrush until dropping down onto his stomach and crawling to the very edge of the ferns and weeds that lined the swollen stream. Running to try and catch up with him before dropping to his to his own hands and knees and crawling on his stomach until he was lying shoulder to shoulder with his hunting companion just as Cedric lifted his rifle up to his eye and aimed across at two men in the water as they neared the other side of the swollen stream before lifting the gun a little higher, aiming it at the other cop as he ran across the rocky bank edge to meet them.

Quickly aiming his own rifle towards the three men, and adjusting his gun's sight, just as the other man on the other side of the flooded stream dropped both the backpacks he was carrying onto the stony bank and waded knee deep into the water to help the injured man out of the water, Jesse asked softly, glancing at his partner, "So do you want to take one of them out or do you want to take all of them out?"

Cedric smiled as he lined up the crosshairs of his rifle dead-center of Marco's head before moving the gun just a fraction to the left and slowly squeezing the trigger, deliberately missing the Marco's head by less than an inch. Lowering his gun so he could look over the barrel, he laughed as Marco jumped and yelled at the Chet to hurry up and get out of the stream as he waded in a little deeper grabbed the Johnny's arm, quickly yanking him up onto his feet before half dragging, half carrying him towards the bank as Chet followed. "Neither!" Cedric answered, chuckling as he lifted his rifle back up and peered through the sight again. "I just want them cops to know that they have joined the game and now also now our prey!" he chuckled, squeezing off several more shots that ricocheted off the water around the cops as they scrambled out of the stream.

Grinning as he looked through the sights of his own gun, Jesse squeezed off a volley of his own shots, giggling girlishly as the bullets ricocheted off the stones around Chet's, Johnny's, and Marco's feet as they reached the bank and headed towards the trees.

E!E!E!E!E!

Trying to struggle to his feet and lift Johnny onto his as they reached the much calmer, shallower water near the bank, Chet heard a gunshot from somewhere behind him a heartbeat before he heard Marco yell at them to get out of the water and head towards the trees. Several more shots rang out, striking the water around them, just missing them by mere inches. Exhausted, he managed to get fully to his feet as Marco rushed into the water and grabbed Johnny from his grip before following Marco back to the bank as fast as he could.

Reaching the bank, he reached down, trying to snag the two backpacks that Marco had dropped in his rush to help them get out of the stream. Several bullets hit the ground around him, causing sharp splinters of stone to flick up and cut his arms as he managed to snatch up one of the dropped backpacks. Stumbling as he tried to dodge barrage of bullets raining down around him and which were peppering and shredding the leaves and branches of the trees just a few yards ahead, he straightened back up and raced, slipping, and sliding, across the loose slippery surface of wet rocks and stones towards the safety of the trees where Marco and Johnny had just disappeared.

E!E!E!E!E!

Quickly crawling backwards, away from the bank before scrambling to his feet once he was far enough back, Cedric laughed as he turned and ran through the now darkening forest. Heading downstream, confident that Jesse was following, he called over his shoulder, trying to make himself heard over the fast-following stream and the heavy rain. "Come on, hurry up, with this rain and having to drag that wounded Injun along, there's no way they are going to make it out of here before it gets dark and after that swim the Injun and that cop took in the stream, hypothermia is sure to set in, especially with how cold it's gunna get tonight. They're going to have to make camp somewhere and sit it out and the only dry place they can do that is in that old hunter's hut about a mile downstream. And when they do, we're gunna be waiting for them."

E!E!E!E!E!

Holding Roy's hand, Joanne stared at his face as her tears streamed down her face. She had always known the risks of his job. She had been aware of the possibility that one day she might be sitting here, beside his bedside while he fought for life after being caught in a fire or trapped beneath a collapsed ceiling. It wasn't a subject that she ever liked to think about, it was something she liked to lie to herself and tell herself it would never happen to Roy. But never in her wildest imaginations had she ever thought she would be sitting here now, begging Roy to hold on because he was kidnapped by two madmen who had decided to hunt him down like an animal and then leave him to die, alone, on the side of a deserted road in a state forest.

Swallowing hard, she squeezed his hand as she looked around in fear at all the medical equipment that Roy was now connected to after his return from the theatre. Several IV bags hung above his bed, some running down the piggyback in the back of his hand and some disappeared beneath a small white dressing that covered the side of his neck, a urine catheter tube emerged from beneath the sheet and disappeared down the other side of the bed where it was connected to a bag hanging there. Turning her head slightly, she stared almost hypnotically at the bellows in the ventilator, breathing for Roy, gently rose and fell, the soft regular whooshing sound it made mixing with the soft beeps of the heart monitor that sat on the table next to the bed. Looking back at Roy, she couldn't stop the soft whimper that escaped, she didn't want to lose him, not now, not ever, and she didn't want to even think about the possibility that she might lose Johnny as well. No, God couldn't be that cruel, the guys would find him and bring Johnny home safe and well.

She jumped as she felt a soft, gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Joanne?"

Joanne quickly wiped her tears from her tear-stained face and turned, looking over her shoulder, her heart sinking as she saw the priest standing behind her. She nodded woodenly as her grip on Roy's hand tightened and she felt the blood drain from her face as the priest, dressed in his black clerical robes, smiled gently down at her and softly introduced himself, "I'm Father Loggerhan from Saint Mary's church. The doctors have told me about your husband's condition and asked me to attend to administer 'The Last Rites' to your husband."

When Joanne didn't answer, he quietly placed the black Gladstone bag he was carrying onto the rolling table at the end of the bed before he looked around, realizing that they frightened young woman sitting in front of him appeared to be all alone. He hesitated a moment before he asked softly, "Would you like me to call someone to be with you while I administer the last rites?"

Biting her bottom lip to stop herself from crying again, Joanne silently shook her head before she turned back towards Roy, concentrating on memorizing every line, every wrinkle on his face as the priest paused a minute, watching her. Swallowing a heart-breaking sob, her grip on Roy's hand tightened even tighter as she heard the priest greet her quietly with the words she dreaded to hear, the words she knew started the Last Rites ceremony, "The grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you."

"And also, with you." She managed to whisper the correct response through a tightening throat as another sob threatened to choke her as she continued to stare at Roy's face, not willing to look up at the priest.

Silently opening his bag, Father Loggerhan cast another quick glance towards the distraught young woman sitting at the side of the bed, aware that she was not ready to hear her husband receive the last rites yet. The lack of eye contact and the way she clutched her husband's hand told him the kindest thing he could do was perform the ceremony and then comfort her afterwards. To draw it out with attempting to offer comfort while she was not yet ready to receive it, would only cause her more pain.

He sighed silently to himself, his heart aching for the Joanne as he returned his attention back to his bag and began to take out the oil and the other things, he needed to administer Roy the Last Rites. After carefully placing the candles and the holy water onto the table next to the oil, he carefully reached back into his bag and lifted out his crucifix and bible and gently placed them into position before moving the table closer to the bed so it was in easy reach while he performed the ceremony and so if Roy had been conscious, it would be in his line of sight. Satisfied that he had everything set up so he could begin the solemn ceremony of anointing the sick, he lit the candles and picked up his white vestment, gently kissing it before he carefully placed it over his shoulders. Picking up the bible, he began the ceremony by reading from a passage from the bible to give not only Roy, but Joanne as well, some comfort and reassure them of the Lord's love before he placed the bible back down and led Joanne in a prayer.

He heard her whimper as the prayer finished and he placed his hand on Roy's head to invoke the Holy Spirit to join them before he turned and dipped the tips of his fingers onto the small bowl of holy oil as Joanne forced herself to release Roy's hand for the ceremony. Turning back, he heard Joanne begin to sob as he anointed Roy's forehead and prayed, "Through this holy anointing, may the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit." He heard Joanne whisper softly, "Amen." as he paused before he anointed Roy's palms and finished the prayer, "May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up."

Joanne was unable to stop the strangled sob as she whispered again, "Amen." She closed her eyes, wishing that she had called someone to be with her as she heard Father Loggerhan ask her to join him in the Lord's prayer.

She resisted the urge to yell at the priest to stop, to tell him the doctors had made some dreadful mistake about Roy's condition, that he wasn't dying, Roy wouldn't do something like that to her, as she mumbled the prayer she had been taught as a young child. Murmuring 'Amen,' when the prayer finished, she forced herself to listen as Father Loggerhan began the last prayer of the ceremony, "Lord Jesus Christ, you chose to share our human nature, to redeem all people, and to heal the sick. Look with compassion upon your servant Roy, whom we have anointed in your name with this holy water for the healing of his body and spirit. Support him with your power, comfort him with your protection, and give him the strength to fight against evil. Since you have given him a share of your passion, help him find hope in suffering, for you are Lord, for ever and ever."

"Amen." Joanne said a little louder, praying that God would give Roy the strength to recover as she heard Father Loggerhan bless Roy with the words, "May the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit come upon you and remain with you for ever."

"Amen." Joanne breathed, reaching for Roy's hand again as she looked up at Father Loggerhan. Taking a deep breath, she wiped away her tears, "Thank you Father, but Roy's not dying." Looking back down at Roy, she whispered, "He wouldn't do that to me. I won't let him!" Looking back up at the priest, her grip on Roy's hand tightened as a look of determination settled on her face and she took a deep breath, knowing her next words could probably cross the line of blasphemy, but beyond caring at the moment, "And please don't tell me it's God's will if he dies, that he is needed elsewhere…" Her voice dropped as the tears began to trickle down her face again as she looked back down at Roy and admitted brokenly, "Because I'm not ready to let him go. I need him here." Looking down at her still flat stomach, she whispered, "Please Lord, if not for me than for Chris and our baby. They need him."

Standing in the doorway, Dixie held her breath and wiped the tears that trickled down her face, not wanting or willing to intrude on such an intimate and solemn moment.


	13. Chapter 13

Collapsing to his knees as his legs gave away from under him as they reached the relative safety of the trees, Johnny hugged his chest with one arm while the other arm hung uselessly by his side, gasping for air, trying to greedily draw as much as he could into his aching, oxygen starved lungs. The soft gasps turned into harsh coughs as he struggled to get his breath. He was only remotely aware of Marco dropping to his own knees and wrapping a firm arm around his shoulders, stopping him from collapsing completely onto the ground as the coughing spasm racked his body while he gasped desperately just for a lungful of air.

"Easy, easy," Marco murmured, his heart sinking as he noticed the ragged, bloody hole in the back of Johnny's bloodstained shirt and felt the icy coldness of Johnny's skin as he held his friend upright. "Just breathe, nice and slow, Johnny."

Johnny nodded breathlessly as more painful coughs racked his body and he struggled to bring his breathing under control.

"H-how is he?" Chet asked as he joined them, quickly kneeling on the other side of Johnny as he allowed the backpack to slip from his shoulder onto the ground beside him.

Glancing across at Chet, Marco nodded towards the bloody hole in the back of Johnny’s shoulder as he answered softly, "He's been shot in the back of his shoulder."

"I-I-I'm 'kay," Johnny managed to gasp as his coughing spasm began to ease before he weakly turned his head to look up at Chet as Marco settled him back against a tree and asked through chattering teeth, "R-r-roy?"

"T-they found him t-this morning, Johnny, he's in S-santa Barbara Hospital." Chet answered, not surprised that, even after everything he had just gone through, the first question from Johnny's mouth was a question about Roy. Chet forced a small smile, trying to stop shivering as the cold breeze blew though his wet clothes as he reached down and opened the backpack, he had dropped beside him, quickly searching through it until he found the first aid kit. "J-J-Joanne's with him at the hospital. They're b-both waiting for us to b-bring you home.” Opening the first aid kit, he grabbed out a dressing and bandage as Marco, supporting Johnny with one hand as he leaned him forward just enough to treat his shoulder, tore the wet material that covered the back of Johnny’s shoulder, exposing the ragged bullet wound beneath.

Chet wasn’t sure whether to be worried or relieved when he saw only a small amount of blood trickle from the wound. Quickly placing the dressing over it, he began to wrap the bandage around Johnny’s chest and shoulder as frowned and looked up at Marco, frowning, “I-I’m not sure if i-it’s good or bad t-that it’s not bleeding m-much.”

‘I-it’s cause I’m c-cold.” Johnny murmured, struggling to open his eyes that he had not even realized had drifted closed to look at Chet. “M-My s-shoulder’s gunna bleed m-more when I-I warm up.” Swallowing a moan as Chet finished bandaging his shoulder, he added almost as an afterthought, “S-so’s my l-leg.”

“Y-your leg?” Chet asked through chattering teeth as the icy, wet breeze blew his wet, cold clothing against him, chilling him even more than he thought possible.

“T-they winged m-me. G-Guess t-they wanted- t-to slow m-me d-down.” Johnny murmured, trying hard to ignore the light-headedness and the feeling that his head was full of cotton wool that was slowing his thoughts. Something warned him that the fuzziness was not a good sign, but he couldn’t for the life of him remember why.

“J-jesus, G-Gage, y-you’re a d-disaster m-magnet!” Chet growled worriedly as he quickly leaned Johnny against the tree and began to search for the bullet wound that Johnny was talking about, finding it a few moments later.

“A-am not!” Johnny’s weak protest ended with a pain filled gasp as Chet grabbed a second dressing from the backpack, pressing it hard against his wound in the back of his leg.

“A-are too, G-gage!” Chet gently teased his wounded pigeon as he tightly wrapped the bandage around Johnny’s leg, over the wet pants, hoping to temporarily secure the dressing beneath.

Glancing worriedly up at small patches of the black angry clouds that peak through the canopy before looking around, through the heavy rain, at the darkening forest around them, Marco felt Johnny's violent trembling beneath his supporting hold. Glancing back at Chet, he could see that Chet was also shivering violently, "We’re gunna need to find some shelter and we need to find somewhere fast, Chet. It's going to get dark soon and it's going to get a hell of a lot colder than it is already. There's no way we are going to make it back to the car before it gets dark. And we've got to get Johnny and you out of the cold before you both get hypothermia."

Chet nodded his agreement as he looked back at Johnny and gave his shoulder a light squeeze shoulder, "D-do you think y-you can walk?"

Johnny swallowed hard and gave a curt nod, biting his lip to stop himself from crying out in pain as Marco and Chet carefully lifted him up onto his feet.

Johnny's face lost all its color and he blinked hard in an attempt to stop himself from passing out as the pain in his shoulder that had been numbed by the cold water, suddenly reawakened with a vengeance, sending shards of white-hot agony which shot down his arm to the tips of his fingers and through his chest and back and his leg almost collapsed beneath him as he placed some of his weight on it.

Holding onto Johnny to stop him from toppling over, Chet nodded towards the backpack as he told Marco softly, his voice stuttering from the cold, "G-grab the backpack and t-t-then start heading upstream with Johnny. T-try and stay in the tree line but m-make sure you can see the stream. I-I will catch up with you in a few minutes."

Grabbing the backpack, Marco frowned as slung it over his shoulder. "Why? Where are you going?" he asked, as he reached for Johnny's uninjured arm and carefully placed it around his shoulder, grabbing it firmly as his other hand snaked around Johnny's waist.

"I-I left the other b-backpack on the bank." Chet told him, "I-I'm going back to g-get it. You heard J-johnny, he’s not bleeding m-much now cause h-he’s so cold but once he s-starts to warm up a b-bit, we’re gunna n-need more b-bandages."

"Chet-"

Marco began only to be cut off as Chet turned his attention to Johnny and asked, "J-Johnny, do you know h-ow many s-shooters there are?"

"T-two, they b-both have high-powered h-hunting r-rifles." Johnny told him, swallowing hard as he tried to push back the darkness that hovered at the edges of his peripheral vision, threatening to rob him of his consciousness, as he added slowly, "B-be careful, C-chet, t-they're crazy. T-this is j-just s-some sort of a s-sick hunting game t-t-to them -"

Chet nodded and forced a small smile as he tried to stop his own violent shivering, "You d-don’t think t-that you are g-going to get r-rid of the Phantom t-that easily do you, G-gage?" Looking back at Marco, he reminded Marco, "R-remember to stay i-in the tree line, M-marco, and try and k-keep the stream in your sight. I-I'll catch up w-with you as soon as I g-g-get the backpack."

Adjusting the firm hold he had around Johnny's waist, Marco nodded unhappily, "Okay, we'll head upstream, and try and stay within the tree line and we won't let the stream out of our sight."

"A-and I will c-catch up in a c-couple of minutes. So, g-get going." Chet ordered his reluctant friend before he turned and started to head back towards the stream.

"If I hear any trouble or you don't catch up with us in the next ten minutes, I'm coming back." Marco called out after Chet as Chet disappeared from his sight.

E!E!E!E!E!

Watching as Cedrick rushed ahead and disappeared out of sight, Jesse began to take a couple of steps to follow before he stopped and turned back towards the stream, staring at the object the cops had left behind on the rocky bank. Taking a small step forward he squinted at the object through the heavy rain. His frown morphed into a smile as he realized just what the object was. The cops had dropped one of the backpacks, full of supplies and maybe their guns, in their haste to make a hasty retreat.

Movement within the shadows of the tree line caught his eye and he dropped down into the cover of the underbrush and crawled forward in an attempt to get a better look. Waiting patiently, he was rewarded a minute later as a figure gingerly emerged from the tree line and cautiously looked around. Chewing his bottom lip in excitement, Jesse carefully cocked his rifle and lifted it into position, aiming it at the cop as the cop ducked low and ran, half crouched, across the bank towards the dropped backpack.

Looking through the rifle's scope, he carefully followed the cop's movements, keeping the cop in the middle of his crosshairs, as he waited, holding his breath until the cop reached backpack. A small chuckle erupted softly from Jesse's lips as the cop picked up backpack and straightened up, quickly glancing around again. Looking through the crosshairs, Jesse carefully lined his target up and slowly releasing his breath, gently tightened his finger on the trigger.

“Chet, look out! Gun!”

Instinct took over as Chet heard Marco’s desperate shout from somewhere behind him and he dropped immediately onto the ground as a shot rang out. Keeping his hold on the backpack that he had just retrieved, he began to wriggle, keeping as low and as fast as he could, backwards, back towards where he heard Marco’s shout and the safety of the tree line. He jumped as he felt Marco grab his ankle before reaching for his belt and dragging him back into protection of the undergrowth.

“W-what are you d-doing here? I-I thought I-” he managed to gasp, shocked but grateful for Marco’s sudden and unexpected appearance that, he had no doubts, had just saved his life.

“You did, but I decided not to listen,” Marco answered distractedly as he continued to stare at a spot on the other side of the swollen stream, searching for the any sign of the gunman he had seen.

Chet nodded as he looked across at the other bank. “T-thanks, Marco.” he murmured, shivering, as he searched for any movement that might give away the location of the hunter.

Marco smiled as he cast a quick at his friend, “To be honest, the only reason I came back for you was because I didn’t one to be the one who had to explain to Cap and the guys why I let you get yourself killed by trying to retrieve a backpack.” Looking back across the swift flowing water and seeing no sign of the gunman, he looked back at Chet and lightly squeezed Chet’s arm, “Johnny’s waiting for us and he’s in pretty rough shape. So, how about we get out of here and find some shelter before it gets dark?”

Chet nodded as another bout of shivering shook his body. Casting a last look across at the dark shadows on the other side of the flooded stream, he followed Marco, crawling backwards until they crawled back far away not to be seen by anyone watching on the other bank, before rising to their feet and turning away from the stream. Swallowing a groan as he felt a deep, burning pain in his side, Chet pressed his hand against the large, wet tear in the side of his shirt as he began to follow Marco through the trees to where Marco had left Johnny, just minutes before, resting against a fallen log.


	14. Chapter 14

Jumping to his feet as he watched the two cops begin to wriggle back into the cover of trees on the other side of the creek, Jesse grinned as he quickly lined up the cop, who was dragging the backpack behind him, deciding to go for a head shot. He knew that Cedric would be angry, but heck, he wanted to have some fun and for him the killing part of the hunt was always the best part. And Hell, there were still two of them left for Cedric to hunt down, the Injun and the other cop. Taking a small step forward, his finger tightened on the trigger just as his foot slipped in the slippery mud, causing him to tumble forward into the thick bed of ferns that had seconds before hidden him from his prey. The last sound he heard was the muffled sound of his gun discharging less than a heartbeat before the bullet tore through his body and his world went black.

E!E!E!E!E!

Dixie silently wiped the tears that were trickling down her face before vigorously trying to rub away the goose bumps that had risen on her arms as the priest finished the ceremony. She watched as he turned and spoke softly to Joanne, probably trying to give her some sort of comfort, Dixie decided, as the priest turned and carefully repacked all the items, he had used in the Last Rites ceremony. Taking a deep breath, she softly thanking the priest as they passed each other in the doorway as she stepped into the room.

Walking across to the chair where Joanne was seated, Dixie lightly squeezed her shoulder as she looked down at the injured man in the bed.

"I don't care just what the doctor or the priest both think, he's not going to die!" Joanne murmured softly, not looking up to see just who was standing beside her as she reached across and gently stroked Roy's face lightly. Her voice broke a little as she shook her head and whispered, "Roy just wouldn't do that to me."

Not certain if Joanne’s last statement was aimed at her or more at Roy, Dixie nodded, "You’re right, Roy's a fighter, and he's not going to give up without a fight.”

“Dixie!” Joanne gasped in surprised, turning to look up at the Rampart nurse standing beside her, “How? What-what are you doing here?”

“Emily Stanley called us at Rampart to let us know that Roy had been found and that he was in critical condition here in Santa Barbara Hospital. She also mentioned that Hank had called her and told her that he and the rest of the guys were going to join in the search for Johnny and that he was worried that he left you here all alone…” She forced a small smile, “So, here I am and so is Kel.”

“Dr Brackett’s here as well?” Joanne asked in surprise.

“He’s talking to Roy’s surgeon.” Dixie nodded, as she softly chuckled. “And I’m willing to bet by the time he is done, he will be the lead physician on the case.”

Joanne bit her lip as she nodded, trying hard not to cry in front of Dixie.

Sitting down on the chair beside her, Dixie down in the chair beside her as he looked across at Roy and asked, "How's he doing?"

Blinking back the tears that threatened to fall again, Joanne slowly shook her head, "Not - not good. He started bleeding internally and they had to take him back to the O.R. When they opened him up, they found a small tear in the intestine. The doctor said that the tear allowed some of the contents of his intestines to leak out and caused a major infection that got into his bloodstream. They tried – tried to clean it up but," she swallowed hard as her tears began to fall harder. Looking back at Roy as her hand squeezed his hand harder, she forced herself to go on, her voice a broken-hearted whisper, "The … the doctor suggested it was time to call a priest." Turning back towards Dixie, the façade of trying to be strong long forgotten as the reality of her world crushed down around her, "Oh Dixie, the priest has just left. The doctor contacted him and asked him to come and perform the Last Rites for Roy. They think he's dying-"

Wrapping his arms around her, Dixie pulled her closer as she tried to ignore her own heart breaking at the thought that she was going to lose one of her closest friends and there was nothing that she could do to stop it from happening, "Ohh Joanne, “ she whispered, hugging Joanne even closer as she sobbed against her chest, as she tried hard not to let her own tears fall. “You said it yourself, Roy’s a fighter. He’s not going to give up without a fight, so we shouldn’t either, don’t you think?”

Drawing a deep breath, Joanne pulled away and forced a weak smile. “You’re right, Dixie!” She nodded with renewed determination as she wiped away her tears, “Roy’s not going to give up, so neither should we!”

“Good girl!” Dixie murmured, giving her another reassuring hug before looking up in surprise as she heard something begin to tap hard against the hospital room’s window. She was startled to see the dark, ominous, rain laden clouds that darkened the late afternoon sky. Releasing Joanne, she stood up and walked across to the window to look outside. The streetlights had already come on as heavy sheets of rain, sometimes blown side wards by the strong wind that was now beginning to blow, began to fall, making it difficult to see further than just a street or two. “Wow, it’s really starting to come down out there.” She murmured as she tried unsuccessfully to see the city streets beyond the window through the almost night-time darkness and rain that had descended across the city. Staring at the heavy rain, her thoughts wandered to the missing paramedic. She knew that she shouldn’t have favorites amongst the paramedics, but Roy and Johnny were special. Johnny a little more so, there was something about the young man that made her feel just that little more protective of him than any of the other guys. Emily had told her the police’ suspicions about Johnny and Roy being targeted by two serial killers who used their victims as prey for hunting. It had been a miracle that Roy was found, shot, and critically wounded, and the thought of Johnny out there, all alone, trying to escape these two madmen terrified her.

Startled by Dixie’s soft words, Jeannie looked up and stared at the rain now lashing the window and the dark sky outside. “Do you think that the guys and police have found Johnny yet and are on their way back?” she asked softly as she watched the heavy raindrops hit against the window before running down the outside glass pane in large rivulets.

Turning to back look at Joanne’s anxious face, Dixie shrugged as she answered quietly, “I don’t know, but I hope so.”

E!E!E!E!E!

Staring at the map folded to show the area they were now located and protected from the falling rain by the clear plastic sleeve he had placed it in, Lee's finger travelled over the dark green area, lingering for a moment on the area near the hiking trail where DeSoto was found several hours before it lightly traced north to where they were now standing, several miles north of the Lower Bear Campground. 

The area was heavily growth forested where if one did not stick to the designated hiking tracks, one could easily get lost. Glancing down at the small compass he held in his hand, he studied it for a minute before he returned his attention back to the large dark green area on the map. He sighed, it was the perfect place for a hunting ground away, especially if his suspicions were correct and the prey being hunted was not just any animal but a man. The area was nothing more than thick forest, hidden ravines, and other unseen dangers, like a pair of deranged hunters, broken up by the Sisquoc River and the small streams that fed into it. Steams that he had no doubts would be flooding now and dangerous to cross, he thought dejectedly as he looked up and peered through the heavy rain that was threatening to turn the afternoon into an early night.

“If I was John and I knew that I was being hunted, I would be looking for a way out,” Cap said softly, looking over at Mike as the four men huddled around the map that Lee was holding.

“Johnny will probably be sticking as close to the river or one of the streams as he can,” Mike agreed, remembering Johnny once told him on one of their camping trips together, that if he ever lost the trail and there was a river or stream nearby, to follow it downstream and it would probably lead him to a town or maybe a ranch and safety. “He will be hoping it will lead him to a campsite or maybe some town and safety.”

“That’s what I am hoping, but what about your other two- ” The rest of Lee’s question was left unspoken as his head snapped up when he thought he heard the sound of a gunshot, somewhere ahead.

“Did you hear that?” Cap asked, looking in the direction that he thought the gunshot had come from,

Jim nodded as he turned, his grip on his weapon tightening as he began to move carefully in the direction of the gunshot as he said over his shoulder, “Sounds like the hunt is still going on.”

“Yeah, but just who is being hunted?” Lee growled, his fear that they wouldn’t reach the man being targeted in time to save him from the hunters' deadly sight or that darkness would fall before they reached them as he followed his partner further into the darkening forest with Cap and Mike following close behind, “Gage or one of the other two?”

E!E!E!E!E!

Placing his hand on the wet bark of the fallen log that he was about to leap over, Cedric stopped as he heard the distinct sound of a gunshot over the sound of the fast-flowing stream and the heavy rain. Spinning around, he was surprised not to see Jesse following closely behind him. Looking back in the direction of the gunshot, he cursed as he remembered seeing the backpack the cops had left behind on the bank when they had fled back into the forest.

A soft guttural growl escaped from his throat as he headed back in the direction he had just came. If Jesse had decided to try to hang around in case the cops came back to collect their dropped gear to torment them a little more, instead of sticking to the plan, he was going to kill the little bastard.

Reaching the area where they had just ambushed the wounded Injun and the two cops, Cedric dropped down to his stomach and began to crawl through the thick cover of ferns. Pushing several fronds apart, he grinded his teeth in irritation as he saw the soles of Jesse’s hunting boots sticking out of the ferns just in front of him. Reaching out with his hand, he gripped his friend’s leg, shaking it hard as he hissed, “Just what the Hell do you think you are doing?” Receiving no response, he shook Jesse’s leg harder, “Answer me, God damn it, just what the Hell do you think you are doing?”

Receiving no answer, Cedric stared at his friend’s unmoving and limp leg that he held in his hand. A sick, sinking feeling settled in the pit of his stomach as he released Jesse’s leg and crawled through the ferns until he was lying on his stomach side by side with his motionless friend. Jesse was lying face down in the mud, a bright crimson puddle was slowly spreading out from beneath him before pooling in depressions in the wet mud. His gun was laying on the ground beneath him, still pointed in the direction of the now empty bank on the other side of the fast-flowing water that was now rushing, only feet away, past them. Jesse’s finger was still loosely curled around the trigger of his favorite hunting rifle.

“Jesse?” Cedric whispered as he reached for his friend’s shoulders and gently began to roll him over, “Jesse?”

A loud moan of grief and disbelief escaped from Cedric’s throat as he rolled Jesse onto his back and found himself staring into the lifeless eyes of his closest friend before he saw the bloody hole in the middle of Jesse’s chest. He was unable to stop the tears from running freely down his face as he sat up and pulled his friend onto his lap. He had loved Jesse as a son, and those bastards had killed him! Cradling Jesse’s limp body in his arms, his moans of grief turned into sobs that shook his whole body as he held the body of his closest friend tighter, rocking back and forth as his heart shattered into a thousand pieces.

A hot rage began to burn through his soul as his sobs began to fade and he looked back down at Jesse’s lax, pale face that was staring back up at him. “I’m going to make them pay for what they did to you, Jess,” he whispered, “I promise you that I’m going to make sure that that dirty Injun and his cop friends suffer for what they just did!”


	15. Chapter 15

Reaching the small clearing around Jesse's and his one room cabin that bordered on the edge of the Las Padres National Park, Cedric quickly hurried across to the old barn that sat just behind the cabin. Reaching into his pocket, he removed a key before unlocking the padlock and removing the heavy chain that secured the barn door and pushing the large barn door open. Hitting the light switch beside the door, he illuminated the inside of the barn in a soft yellow light.

Crossing to the table that lined the wall where Jesse and he both kept all their hunting gear, he grabbed one of the backpacks and unzipped it open. Reaching for three unopened packets of bullets, he shoved them into the bottom of the backpack before reaching for the large, serrated hunting knife and a large coil of rope and placing them into the bag as well. Grabbing one of the small animal traps, he paused before he pushed it away and reached for the larger, spring activated bear trap. Lifting the trap up towards the dim light hanging from the ceiling into the middle of the room, he quickly examined it until he was satisfied that the spring release was well oiled, and the trap not only had all its teeth but also all the teeth were sharp before he tossed it into the bag.

Reaching across to grab the night vision glasses that he had stolen just a few weeks before from an army surplus store, he stopped and stared at the small, open box of dynamite sitting on the floor at the end of the table. Jesse had originally brought the dynamite to do what he called some hillbilly fishing where one didn't need such cumbersome things like bait or a fishing net. Heck, Jesse had laughed that you didn't even need a fishing rod! All you needed was a cigarette lighter and a stick of dynamite. And then it was as easy as lighting the fuse and throwing the stick of dynamite into the river and then ... BOOM! The fish would float, either stunned or dead, to the top of the water for you to collect as many as you wanted and the rest would just float away.

A small vicious smile tugged at his lips as an idea formed and solidified in his head he reached down and grabbed several sticks of the explosive from the box and stuffed them into the backpack. Picking up one of the long cords of fuses lying next to the box, he studied it for a minute before he placed it back down and picked up another longer cord of fuse which had a slower burn and stuffed it inside the backpack beside the sticks of dynamite.

He wasn't sure how the two cops had found their buddy; all he knew was they had interfered in the hunt. Not only had they interfered in the hunt and were now helping the prey to cheat, but they had also murdered Jesse in cold blood and for that, they were going to be punished. Their deaths were not going to be easy or fast, it was the least he could do to honor his friend.

First, he was going to hunt down and kill the two cops and then he was going to hunt down and capture the man he was hunting. Then, after he caught him, he was going to strap the dynamite to the Injun's chest and light a nice long fuse. And then… the vicious smile on his face morphed into a blood chilling chuckle as he picked up the backpack and slung it over his shoulder before he grabbed his rifle, and the night vision glasses... And then, he grinned to himself, he was going to sit back and watch the fear in the Injun's eyes as he watched his own death spit and splatter slowly towards him in the shape of the small flame inching nearer and nearer along the thin, white fuse and knowing there was nothing he could do to stop it.

With a final glance around to ensure he had collected everything he needed, he quickly changed out of his wet clothes and then grabbed the long camouflaged waterproof poncho that not only would keep him warm and dry without interfering with his hunting, but he could also use as a temporary shelter if needed, and shrugged into it.

Satisfied that he was ready for the most important hunt of his life, he turned and walked out of the barn, flicking the light off before he closed and slowly threaded the chain back through the two holes in the door and secured the padlock.

Turning, he jogged back across to the clearing to the now dark tree line, ignoring the heavy rain and the cold wind that was now blowing, dropping the temp to almost freezing. Stopping as he reached the trees, he quickly lifted the night vision glasses into place before securing them securely with the strap around his head. Blinking a few times as his eyes adjusted to the glasses and soft green glow that now outlined the world around him, he ventured back into the woods and headed towards the one spot where he knew the flood stream would be safe to cross. He was confident that once he reached the other side of the stream that he would catch up with the trio he was hunting easily.

They would have to find shelter soon and because of the rain and the flooding streams that crisscrossed the area, the only direction that they would be able to head was south. And the only shelter that would be adequate for them to use was the small, abandoned cabin about a mile south from where they had murdered Jesse. All he had to do was head towards the cabin, set some traps and then wait for them to come to him.


	16. Chapter 16

Pausing as they reached the fast flowing, flooded stream, Cap sighed and looked around. The heavy rain was making it difficult to hear or see anything. Looking up as a flash of lightening lit up the sky, he felt his heart sink as he caught a quick look at the angry, black, rain laden clouds that were rolling in. As desperate as he was to find Johnny, Chet and Marco, he knew that the falling temperature, the rough and unfamiliar terrain, and the early nightfall was just making it too dangerous to go on. He just prayed that the deteriorating conditions would temporarily halt the hunt and that Chet, Marco and Johnny also would realize the same thing and find somewhere dry and safe to hide.

Tapping Lee's shoulder to get his attention, Cap waited until the Santa Barbara detective turned towards him before he shouted to make himself heard above the heavy rain and the loud clap of thunder. "It's getting dark and there's a storm rolling in. We're going to need to find some shelter. It's getting too dangerous to try and go much further."

Looking up at the sky as another flash of lightening lit up the dark afternoon sky before he looked back around at the dark forest that surrounded them and the swollen stream, Lee sighed as he looked back at Cap and nodded. "You're right," he shouted, "This storm looks like its going to get worse." Tilting his head upstream, he continued, "There's a small cabin just a little way upstream from here, where we can spend the night. It's not much but at least it will keep us dry and warm. We're going to have to start the search again tomorrow."

Cap slapped the other man on the shoulder and nodded his agreement before adjusting his heavy backpack and following Lee back into the darkening forest.

E!E!E!E!E!

Biting back his own moan of pain as Johnny stumbled over another tree root, Chet tightened his hold around Johnny's waist and arm, trying to support his friend as he and Marco ran, half carrying/half dragging Johnny along as they ran through the forest. Although Johnny was trying his best to run, it was a losing battle, it was obvious that the loss of blood and the cold were taking their toll on him.

Hell, his own soaking wet clothes, the cold, the rain, and his own throbbing wound were starting to take their toll on himself. He wasn't sure how long he could keep up the fast pace that Marco was setting, trying to put as much distance between themselves and the madmen who were hunting them while trying to keep the fast-rising stream in sight. It was starting to get dark and soon it would be too dark to see where they were going. They needed to stop and find some shelter soon.

A sudden flash of lightening momentarily lit up the darkening forest as the heavy rain began to pelt down and Chet's heart began to beat wildly as he saw the shape of a small log cabin nestled amongst the trees as a loud clap of thunder shook the ground. "Marco! Over there, there's a cabin." he called loudly, trying to make himself heard over the heavy rain as he nodded in the direction of the cabin, now barely visible in the fading light.

"I see it!" Marco nodded and yelled as another flash of lightening lit up the sky as they turned and hurried towards the small, roughly built cabin surrounded by a small clearing, desperate to get themselves and Johnny out of the cold and rain as another loud clap of thunder echoed around them.

E!E!E!E!E!

Reaching the edge of the clearing that surrounded the small cabin, Cedric dropped breathlessly to his knees laying his gun gently on the ground in front of him before shrugging out of the heavy backpack and dropping it on the ground beside him. The stream had been a lot higher than he had anticipated and the fast-flowing current had almost pulled off his feet. Quickly unzipping the backpack , he ignored the bright flash of lightening that lit up the sky and the loud crack of thunder that followed it as he reached into the backpack and pulled out the sticks of dynamite, carefully laying them and the long coil of waterproof fuse on the ground next to him. Reaching back into the backpack, he unpacked the rest of his hunting tools, fanning out the traps, packets of bullets, rope, and knife within easy reach around him.

Turning back towards the cabin, he pulled the poncho a little tighter around himself as he peered through the night vision glasses, squinting as he tried to see through the heavy rain that now was pelting down. Another flash of lightening momentarily blinded him and robbed him of his night vision. Blinking away the bright white flash of light that affected his eyes as another thunderous crack of thunder echoed around him, he found himself watching the green silhouettes of the two cops and the wounded Injun emerge from the tree line and head across the small clearing towards the empty cabin.

Silently picking up his gun, he smiled as he lay down on his stomach and lifted the gun until the heavy wooden stock rested against his shoulder, his thumb brushing the safety off as he aimed his rifle through the protective screen of ferns at the back of the dark hair cop's head just as trio reached the cabin door. Lowering the barrel of the gun ever so slightly until it was aimed at the middle of the man's back, low enough to cripple him and to make him suffer but not kill him… yet. Taking a deep breath, he whispered, "This one is for you, Jesse," as his finger lightly began to curl around the trigger.

He stopped as something moving in the tree line on the other side of the clearing caught his attention. Frowning, he slowly lowered the gun before casting a quick glance back at his prey only to see them enter the cabin and close the door behind them.

Cursing softly to himself for taking too long to take his shot, he sat up a little higher, trying to see over the ferns just what had caught his attention and had interrupted his shot. He stared in surprise as four, wet figures, all carrying backpacks and at least two carrying hunting rifles, emerged from the forest and ran towards the little cabin to take shelter from the rain, "Damn it! Damn it to Hell!" he growled as he watched the four wayward hunters reach the cabin and open the door before also disappearing inside.


	17. Chapter 17

Dixie wasn't sure when she first suspected it but Joanne's reaction to the plate of sandwiches and the lukewarm mug of hospital coffee that the nurse had offered them confirmed her suspicions. Joanne's reaction had been instant, her complexion had turned an unhealthy grey and as one hand rose to cover her mouth as she stood up to rush from the room, her other hand had gone protectively over her tummy. That was the very moment that Dixie realized without a doubt, the reason why Joanne had rushed from the room to be sick. She was pregnant! And by the sudden and violent morning sickness symptoms, Dixie surmised the younger woman was probably in her first trimester. Turning to look at the doorway through which Joanne had just fled, she was surprised to find Kel standing there, staring at Joanne as she fled towards the lady's restroom.

"Is she okay?" he asked turning back to look at Dixie.

Dixie nodded. "She's pregnant!" she answered quietly as Brackett entered the room and crossed across to the bed.

"Are you sure?" he frowned, shaking his head under Dixie's 'Are you really asking me that!' glare before he answered his own question, "Of course you are."

Dixie gave him a single silent nod.

Brackett's frown deepened as he looked at the unconscious young man in the bed. "Roy hasn't said anything, do you think he knows?"

Dixie shook her head sadly as she looked back at their friend in the bed, "No, I think Joanne has only found out herself. If Roy knew, he would shouting it from the rooftop, I know they have been trying for another baby. And even if he did know and they wanted to keep it a secret, Johnny wouldn't have been able to help himself, he would have been so excited for them that he would have given the secret away."

Kel nodded, he knew just how close Roy, Joanne and Johnny were. The two men had become much closer than partners, Johnny with no living family of his own had become a very important part of Roy's and Joanne's family.

"How's he doing, Kel? I mean, really doing?" Dixie asked softly as she looked back up at her colleague and friend, her heart sinking as she saw Brackett twitch his lips, a sign she knew foretold bad news.

"Not good. His blood pressure is still low and his platelets are still falling." Brackett answered softly, "He's not responding to antibiotics and I suspect that his kidneys may be starting to shut down."

"Ohh, no!" Dixie whispered looking back at Roy, listening to Brackett as he continued quietly.

"His urine output is low. If he doesn't show some improvement soon, we are going to have to start him on dialysis." Brackett shook his head, placing his hand on Dixie's shoulder as he stared at Roy, "It's usually Johnny who gives us the scares, but Roy is certainly giving us a run for our money. I'm just not sure that-"

Dixie nodded her head as she felt the tears well up in her eyes as she lifted her hand and lightly squeezed Kel's hand, forcing a small smile as she looked up at him. "I know that you are going to do everything you can, Kel, if anyone can get you through this, it's you."

"I hope you're right, Dix," Brackett murmured as he lightly squeezed Dixie's shoulder, sighing as he glanced at the heart monitor before looking up at the bags of IV fluids hanging above the bed, their tubes snaking down to disappear beneath the dressing at the junction of Roy's shoulder and neck. "I really hope so." He murmured again, giving Dixie's shoulder another squeeze as he added quietly. "I'm going to chase up the latest lot of blood work. I'll be back soon."

Dixie nodded as she turned back to watch over Roy as Kel turned and left the room.

E!E!E!E!E!E!

Staring at the elevator doors, waiting for them to slide open, Ron Crockett battled with the conflicting emotions of anger, admiration, and fear after returning to the motel where he had booked rooms for the Engine 51 crew to stay to find that they had not even checked in. After a quick phone call to the hospital to speak to Captain Stanley to get an update on Roy DeSoto's condition, he had been surprised when Dixie McCall and not Hank Stanley had come to the phone. The head E.R. Rampart Hospital nurse had explained that she had received a phone call from Emily Stanley who had told her about Roy being found in Santa Barbara. She had then gone on to explain how Hank had told her that the Engine 51 guys had decided to join both Rollings and Thompson in their search for Gage and had asked his wife to call Dixie and ask her to come and stay with Roy's wife, so she would not be at the hospital all alone. She had also added that Dr Brackett had also accompanied her to Santa Barbara and was now one of the primary physician's treating DeSoto.

He wasn't sure at the moment if he wanted to feel proud of the Engine 51 crew for risking their lives joining in the desperate search for their missing crew mate or if he wanted to wrap his hands around each and every one of their skinny throats and slowly strangle them. And as for the two Santa Barbara detectives who allowed them to tag along-

Startled out of his thoughts as the elevator suddenly jerked to a stop and the doors slid open and pushing himself away from the back wall of the elevator where he had been leaning, he stepped out before turning and heading towards the doors that led into the Intensive Care Unit. Entering the unit, he flashed his badge at the nurse at the nurse's station before he continued down the corridor towards the room where he had had just seen Dr Brackett emerge from before heading back towards the doctor's office at the end of the corridor.

Entering Roy DeSoto's intensive care rom, he was surprised to find only Dixie McCall sitting alone beside the paramedic's bed. Crossing to the side of the bed, he looked down at Roy before he looked at Dixie and asked, "Where's Mrs DeSoto?"

Looking up at the L.A Homicide detective, Dixie answered, "She's just gone to the restroom to freshen up."

Crockett nodded as he glanced over his shoulder at the empty doorway before he looked back at Dixie, concerned, "How's she doing, Dix?"

Dixie simply shook her head, not needing to say anything more as Crockett nodded his head in understanding, his heart aching for the young woman.

Looking up at Crocket, Dixie asked softly, "Any updates on the search for Johnny?"

Ron Crockett gave a single shake of his head as he answered quietly, "No, not yet, but Captain Hynes promised to let us know as soon as he knows anything and…"

"He hasn't. And we haven't heard from Hank or either of the two detectives, either." Dixie sighed as she looked back at the window and added worriedly, "So Johnny and the guys could still be out there, somewhere-"

"And I am sure that they will all be sheltering in the cabin, that the rangers whom I just spoke to just before coming here told me about, waiting out the storm," The lieutenant tried to reassure her, swallowing hard as he also remembered the ranger's reply when he asked if it was possible for the rangers to go out and help search for them. The ranger had answered that it was just far too dangerous to do so in the dark, especially with numerous hidden ravines and the storm front that had stalled over the area but also the deadly flash flooding that was occurring, causing many of the streams in the area and the Sesquoc River to break their banks and rise to levels rarely seen before, easily cutting off anyone foolish enough to be out there to become trapped or even drown trying to escape the area. Looking back at Dixie as he added softly, "And I suspect the only reason why we haven't heard from them is because of this storm. They probably haven't been able to establish radio contact yet."

Dixie nodded unconvinced as she turned back towards Roy.

"How is he?" Crockett asked as he stared down at the injured paramedic, disturbed to find that Roy was connected to a ventilator.

"The doctors placed him on a ventilator so he could save his energy in fighting the sepsis rather than using it for breathing." she answered softly. "Kel says that he's still not responding to the antibiotics."

"But he's still fighting!" Joanne intervened sharply as she re-entered the room and sat back down on her chair, reaching for Roy's hand again, "He hasn't given up and neither should we!"

Crockett nodded his agreement, glancing at Dixie before he looked back at Joanne and gently squeezed her shoulder, "You're right, Roy's a fighter, he's not giving up and neither should we."

Joanne nodded, her eyes never leaving her husband's face as she murmured, "He's going to pull through, just you wait and see. He's not going to leave me, not now, not this way." Looking up at Crockett and then Dixie, she added, "And I know Hank and the guys are going to find Johnny and bring him home as well."

"I know they will." The L.A detective nodded, forcing a small fake smile as he added silently to himself, "Unless they get themselves killed first, trying."


	18. Chapter 18

Releasing Johnny's arm that he had wrapped around his shoulder, Marco turned and gently kicked shut the door they had just come through, instantly stopping the freezingly cold wind that was chilling them to the bone. Momentarily releasing his hold from around Johnny's waist, he quickly shrugged out of his backpack, opening it before rummaging through it until he found the torch that he knew he had packed earlier. Pulling it free, he dropped the backpack to the floor and switched it on, shining it around the small room as he wrapped his arm around Johnny's waist again.

The room appeared to be sparsely furnished as the narrow beam of light travelled across it, there was an old dust covered, wooden table with an old oil lantern sitting on it in the middle of the room, surrounded by four wooden chairs, a small sink and cupboards sat against the far wall next to a small wooden stove. A large bed covered with blankets sat against another wall opposite the large fireplace that held pride of place on the other side of the room, a large basketful of wood and kindling sat beside it.

He jumped and released Johnny's waist again as he heard the door open behind them. Spinning around, he felt his heart rise into his throat as the torch light captured the armed man who was now stepping through the doorway. Swallowing hard, unsure if the new arrival was one of the hunters seeking shelter, Marco stepped in front of Chet and Johnny, as he tried to bluff, "Don't take another step! Or I'll shoot!"

"Whoa! Don't shoot!" Lee exclaimed, instantly recognizing one of the missing firemen's voices as the bright light blinded him. "It's us, Detective Rollings and Detective Thompson!"

"Marco, how the Hell can you shoot anyone you. You don't even own a damn gun!" Cap's annoyed voice growled from somewhere behind the police officer.

Cap?" Marco frowned, "Is that you?"

"Of course, it's me, you twit! Now stop blinding us with that damn torch and let us get out of the rain!" Cap demanded, shivering as icy cold rainwater from his drenched hair trickled down the back of his neck.

"Ah, sorry Cap." Marco stammered in surprise, lowering his torch a little as the four men hurried into the small cabin and closed the door behind them.

"C-c-cap?" Johnny stuttered, uncertain if he was dreaming or if he had really just heard his captain's voice.

"John?" Cap frowned peering through the darkness as Marco turned and hurried across to the table and lit the lantern, flooding the small one room cabin in a soft yellow light.

"I-I'm n-not dr-dreamin'?" Johnny whispered as he struggled to lift his head from where it was resting on his chest and turn to look at his captain, still not quite believing that this wasn't some dream, that he was really safe and had escaped from the nightmare he had so suddenly found himself thrust into.

"No, you're not dreaming, Pal, I'm really here," Hank smiled, relieved to see his youngest paramedic alive and now safe.

"T-they s-s-shot h-him, C-cap!" Chet told his captain through chattering teeth as Hank gently grabbed Johnny's arm, shocked at how cold Johnny's arm was as he helped Chet guide him towards the bed.

Chet added proudly, "B-but h-he s-still m-managed to g-get a-away."

Marco nodded. "We found him trying to cross the flooded stream, getting away from them. He would have made it as well, Cap, except he slipped but Chet managed to get him to the bank."

Chet nodded and blushed as he shivered violently, "T-the P-phantom c-c-couldn't l-let h-his f-favorite p-pigeon d-drown, n-now c-c-could he?"

Cap nodded as they reached the side of the bed as found himself smiling at Chet's comment. As much as the Phantom tormented Johnny, he knew that Chet would give his life to save Johnny's. Hell, they all would, and they all knew John would do the same thing in a heartbeat for anyone of them. "When you see the Phantom, thank him for saving John's life, Pal, but also tell him that it's not going to get him or his sidekick out of three months of latrine duty for the next three months for that little stunt of coming out here to search for Johnny without telling anyone where they were going!"

"T-three m-months?" Chet gasped, his eyes growing wide in shock as he looked at Cap.

"Wanna try for six, Pal?" Cap asked.

"A-ahhh, n-n-no, Cap." Chet shook his head vigorously.

"Didn't think so." Cap smiled before he returned his attention back to Johnny as he ordered gently. "So how about we get both you and John out of those wet clothes and warmed up a little." Looking over his shoulder to the two Santa Barbara detectives as Marco and Mike hurried across to help, he added softly, "We're going to need a fire going and something warm for John and Chet to drink. I think John is hypothermic and I suspect that Chet has a mild case of hypothermia as well. We need to warm them both up."

Turning back to John as Mike reached them and began to remove the two drenched bandages that Chet and Marco had wrapped his wet clothes, he smiled, "Okay Pal, how about we get you out of these wet clothes and warm you up a little."

Johnny nodded weakly, his head dropping back down onto his chest as his eyes drifted close on their own accord as Hank helped him to stand. He was only vaguely aware of Mike removing his clothes or Marco helping Chet to remove his as he struggled to open his eyes and look back up at his captain as he tried to make his mouth work enough to ask," "R-r-roy?"

"Roy's safe, John, Joanne's with him. And Emily called Nurse McCall and asked her to come and sit with Joanne while we were searching for you. And I am willing to bet that Dixie didn't come alone, Pal, I am betting that Dr Brackett is with her." Hank reassured the younger man as Mike grabbed one of the backpacks before grabbing one of the tee shirts out of it and using it to dry Johnny as well as he could.

Hearing Chet hiss in pain as Jim and Marco helped him out of his wet clothes, Hank turned his head to find the LA detective examining a large gash in Chet's side. He heard Marco murmur something in Spanish beneath his breath as Chet explain to Jim that one of the hunters must have winged him when he had returned to the stream to retrieve one of the backpacks that he and Marco had rescued Johnny before insisting that the injury appeared worse than it was.

"Then you wont mind Marco putting a dressing on it, will you, Pal?" Hank suggested softly, aware that Chet would know it was more an order than just a friendly suggestion.

"Ahh, n-no C-cap. Chet sighed as Hank turned back the blankets on the bed before easing Johnny down on the edge of the bed.

Holding firmly but gently onto Johnny's shoulders, Hank helped him to sit up as Mike grabbed out the first aid kit and began to rebandage the two bullet wounds. He wasn't sure if he should be relieved or not that neither wound seemed to be bleeding much as they managed to dress Johnny into some dry warm clothes. Grabbing one of the sleeping bags that he and Mike had picked up on their way to the park, and removing it from its waterproof bag, eased Johnny down into it before sipping it completely up before also covering him with a blanket, tucking it around the shivering younger man before he lightly pressed his fingers against the side of Johnny's throat, feeling the weak, racing beat beneath them.

Glancing across at Chet who was now seated at the small table, he was relieved to see that Marco and Jim had also help Chet into some warm dry clothes before wrapping one of the thick open sleeping bags around his shoulders. Marco was encouraging him to drink a hot mug of something that Lee had made after starting a nice roaring fire in the old fireplace that was now quickly warming up the small cabin, taking the icy chill out of the air.

Watching Marco and Chet, he knew angry as he was at both of them for risking their own lives by searching for Johnny on their own, he was grateful that they had. Hell, if he was totally honest with himself, both he and Mike had both come to the park to search for not only his two wayward men but Johnny as well. He was also left with the feeling that there was more to Johnny's rescue than what he had just been told.

"How is he?" Lee asked, startling Hank out of his silent musings, as he handed Hank a mug of warm black tea and nodded towards Johnny.

"Not good." Hank answered softly, accepting the mug of tea as he turned and looked at Johnny, unsure if Johnny had drifted off to sleep or if he had lost his fight to stay conscious as Mike hovered protectively near the bed. "He has gunshot wounds to both his leg and shoulder, he's hypothermic and is going into shock, and if what Chet and Marco just told us, he probably swallowed a lot of water when he got washed away, trying to cross that stream. He's not bleeding much now but when he warms up, I'm not sure if we will be able to- " Hank swallowed hard, running his hand over his hair, not quite willing to voice his own fears that they might be forced to watch Johnny bleed to death. Aware that what he was about to say was impossible with the darkness, the storm and the danger that would confront them outside the cabin, he looked back at the detective and admitted softly, "He needs to be in a hospital, and he needs to be in a hospital now."

"I know." Lee sighed, aware that the young paramedic might not survive the night but also just as acutely aware as Hank was that there was nothing they could do get him to safety and any specialized medical help until the storm let up and it was light enough to safely do so.

Turning back towards Marco, Chet and Jim, he silently listened as Chet and Marco told his partner about hearing a gunshot and discovering Gage as the younger man tried to escape his tormentors by heading downstream. Listening to Marco describing how Chet had risked his life to rescue Johnny and how he had then returned after Chet had gone back to retrieve the backpack, and by judging by the deep bullet graze in Chet's side, which Lee had no doubts that Marco had probably saved Chet's life after the hunters had tried to shoot him while hidden within the tree line on the other side of the flooded stream.

Lee shared a quick shared glance at his partner before he returned his attention back to Marco and asked, "Are you sure that they were shooting at you from the other bank?"

Both Marco and Chet nodded in unison.

"And you're sure that there are two of them?"

Marco nodded again, "Johnny told us to be careful, that there were two of them and that they armed with high powered hunting rifles and that they were crazy."

"H-he also warned-us that t-they were p-playing some- s-sick hunting game." Chet added, confirming Lee's theory before he looked down into the mug of tea that he still had his hands wrapped around, as he added softly. "W-we f-found another of t-their victims. A-a young b-boy. H-he was shot i-in the b-back."

Lee nodded, his heart sinking at the thought there were more victims out there whom they had been unaware of and he wondered just how long the park had been these two killers personal hunting grounds.

"Could you find the body again?" Jim asked, not wanting to leave the young boy laying in the forest all alone. He deserved to be returned to his family and Lee was determined that he was going to ensure that that happened.

Marco nodded, unsure he would ever forget the terrified look on the young boy's face or where they had found him.

"Thank you." Lee told them softly as he reached across and gently took the mug from Chet's hand, promising to fill it up again.

Rising from his chair, Jim followed his partner across to the small sink and glancing covertly back at the four firemen huddled around the table, asked, "What do you think?"

Looking back over his shoulder at Chet and Marco, Lee turned back to Jim and whispered, "Gage confirmed our suspicions but if what Kelly and Lopez just told us about these two bastards taking pot shots at them across the swollen stream, we should be safe here tonight. There's no way anybody is going to be able to cross that stream, not with this storm and all the water coming down from the heavy rain upstream."

"And no way we can contact anyone for help. I just hope that Gage can last through the night."

Jim nodded his agreement before he sighed. "We're going to need some more water. I saw an old well outside."

"I'll get it." Lee offered.

Jim smiled and shook his head, "No, it's fine, I'll get some. I want to have a little look around outside anyway before we settle in for the night."

"Still expecting trouble?" Lee asked the older man.

"I don't know. I just guess as Tom always tells us, it's better to be safe than sorry." Jim shrugged as he picked up his rifle and slung it over his shoulder before he turned and headed towards the door.


	19. Chapter 19

Settling himself in for a long wait, Cedric ignored the cold water as it trickled down the back of his neck. He pulled the poncho closer as he settled down on his stomach, he was used to the discomforts of hunting, and no rain or hikers stumbling into the hunt while seeking shelter from the rain were not going to stop him from collecting his trophy. Neither the injun nor his two cop buddies were going to escape their fates that easily, not after they had so cold bloodily murdered Jesse. And the four hikers who had been unlucky enough to have sought shelter with them to escape from the rain just added more thrill to the hunt.

Lying flat on his stomach, with his gun resting on the ground in front of him in easy reach, Cedric lifted up the night vision glasses, leaving them resting on the top of his head as he peered through the curtain of ferns as he watched the cabin. He smiled when the windows were bathed in the soft yellow light of a lantern and he was able to watch the figures inside as they moved past the windows. His fingers itched to pick up the gun and take one of them out but that would ruin the fun and spoil the spirit of the hunt.

No, he wanted to take them out one by one while leaving the injun and his cop friends until last. He wanted the injun to know that he was still coming and that he had him firmly in his sights.

He had no doubts at all that the injun and the two cops had told the hikers their story and he had expected the hikers to be cautious, but he also knew he had two advantages up his sleeve. The cops and the injun did not know that Jesse was dead and that after the injun almost drowned in the flooded stream, they would never expect him to be able to cross to this side, especially with the storm that seemed to have set in, still raging above them.

His patience was rewarded less than an hour later when the cabin door opened and one of the hikers, with a rifle slung over his shoulder, opened the cabin door and carefully looked around before stepping out and closing the door behind him. Slipping the night vision glasses back down over his eyes, Cedric held his breath and lowered his head as he watched the man pause again as he turned on his torch before shining it around the clearing, clearly searching for any threats.

Cedric’s smile morphed into a large grin as the man lowered his torch before grabbing the wooden bucket that sat on the small patio in front of the cabin door, before stepping down and heading towards the well located near the far edge of the small clearing. Keeping the man in sight, he wriggle back a little on his stomach, until he was satisfied that he wouldn’t be able to be seen. Grabbing his hunting knife, he quietly pushed himself up onto his feet and began to stalk his victim, confident that the rain would help to make him almost invisible amongst the trees and would smother any noise he might make as he neared his prey.

Reaching the old well, Jim paused and looked around again, unable to shake the feeling that he was being watched. God, he hated being out of the city, he had never understood just what the enjoyment was that some people found hiking and camping. There was nothing about deliberately going outdoors to be ‘one with nature’ that appealed to him at all. Walking around to the other side of the well, he placed the bucket on the ground, looking up as another flash of lightening lit up the evening sky. Unable to stop himself from gasping from cold as the rain suddenly increased and the icy wind picked up, chilling him to the bone, Jim slipped the rifle from his shoulder before he rested it within easy reach against the side of the well. Grabbing the well’s handle, he began to slowly turn it as a deafening clap of thunder rumbled around the clearing, making him jump a little in fright.

Chiding himself, he shook his head, glad that Lee was not there with him, watching him being so jumpy, he continued to turn the handle, slowly bringing up the heavy bucket of water towards the top of the well. 

Stepping silently up behind the man drawing water from the well, using the thunder to cover any noise of his approach, Cedric grinned wolfishly as he suddenly grabbed the man's head with one hand, violently yanking it back against his own chest before slashing the hiker's throat with one well practiced, deep cut.

Jim never knew what was coming or even had a chance to react or even call out as he let go of the well’s handle and instinctively reached for his throat, trying weakly to stop his life blood from flowing away as Cedric dragged him back into the dark safety of the tree line and underbrush.

Dumping Jim’s body in the middle of a large, thick clump of ferns, Cedric leaned down and using the front of Jim's shirt, wiped the blood from his knife. Satisfied that his knife was clean, he turned and headed back to the well to collect the man’s rifle before he silently retreated back into the forest and made his way back to where he had left the rest of his weapons.

Grinning, he whispered, “One down, Jesse, and six more to go! I told you this was going to be the best hunt yet. I told you!”


	20. Chapter 20

“I-I just d-don’t get it,” Chet shook his head, pulling the sleeping bag around his shoulders a little tighter as he looked up at his friends around the table, “H-how can someone t-think that it’s o-okay to hunt another man?”

“I don’t know, Pal.” Cap sighed as he found himself wondering the same thing.

“Hemingway did.” Mike answered quietly, surprising them all.

“Hemingway?” Marco frowned as they all turned to look at their normally quiet engineer.

“Ernest Hemingway, the writer.” Mike continued, “He once wrote that ‘There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, will never really care for anything else thereafter.’.

“T-that’s crazy!” Chet muttered, his eyes wide as he stared at Mike, shocked by Hemingway’s quote.

“It’s a quote from one of his short stories that he wrote after World War 2 titled ‘On Blue Water’.” Mike began to explain, softly, “The story’s about two friends who are discussing their favorite types of hunting.” 

“R-r-roy? … R-r-roy?”

The soft conversation was immediately forgotten as the men turned towards the bed as Johnny began to call out weakly for Roy. Rising immediately to his feet, Hank quickly crossed the small distance the separated the table from the bed and knelt at the edge of the bed as he reached for the youngest member of his team. “Easy , Pal, easy. Roy’s safe, John, and so are you.”

“C-c-cap?” Johnny whispered as he tried to focus on the face that was hovering just above his.

“Yeah, it’s me, Johnny.” Hank smiled as he reached up and brushed back a dark, lock of unruly hair from Johnny’s face, shocked at just how cold Johnny still felt despite the blankets, dry clothing and the fire warming the cabin.

“C-c-cold.” Johnny complained.

“I know John.” Cap nodded, “We’re trying to warm you up now.”

“I-I- hate c-c-cold water r-rescues.” Johnny complained, slightly confused with the memory of just how he had managed to have gotten so cold. “N-next t-time, R-roy, c-can d-do i-it.”

Hank laughed softly and nodded as he tucked the blanket a little tighter around the shivering man. “I’ll make sure Roy does.” He promised, “But first how about I get you something warm to drink.”

Licking his dry lips, Johnny nodded as Cap lightly squeezed his shoulder and rose to his feet. “C-c-cap.” John called out as Roy’s warning about hypothermia and giving the victim warm drinks suddenly popped into his head. Not questioning or wondering about his friend’s warning or why it should matter to him, he added softly, “N-not c-coffee-“

“Or tea.” Cap nodded, instantly understanding what John was trying to tell him.

E!E!E!E!E!

Glancing down at his watch, Lee sighed as he turned and peered back out of the window, looking for his partner. He could just make out the vague outline of the well through the heavy blanket of rain, but it was too dark to see Jim against the backdrop of trees. A sick feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. The well wasn’t that far from the cabin, Jim should have been back by now. What if they had been wrong and the killers had managed to cross the flooded stream? What if…

His question was forgotten as he heard the injured paramedic weakly call out for his partner. He turned back and watched as Hank rose from his chair at the table and hurried across to the side of the bed and knelt beside his wounded and hypothermic man. He couldn’t hear just what Hank said but whatever it was, it calmed the young paramedic. He watched the fire captain nod and smile as he tucked the blanket a little tighter around Gage, lightly squeezing Gage’s shoulder before rising back to his feet and walking across to small sink bench, near where he was standing. “How’s he doing?” Lee asked softly.

Looking back over his shoulder at Johnny, Hank sighed as he turned back and glanced at the detective and answered, “Not good.” Grabbing a mug, he reached for the pot of warm water that Lee had heated up earlier to make Chet a warm drink and poured some into a mug.

“You don’t have to drink water, I can make another pot of tea if you like.” Lee frowned. “I know it’s not coffee but-“

Hank shook his head, “Thanks but no thanks, this isn’t for me, it’s for John. He needs something to warm drink to help bring his temperature back up. And I remember Roy and Johnny once telling us when they were giving us some advanced first aid training that a hypothermic patient who is as cold as Johnny is now should never be given tea or coffee to drink.” Lee stared questioningly at Cap who shrugged as he explained, “Roy explained that the caffeine can actually lower the victim’s core body temperature. I’m not totally sure just how or why it does but they recommended if someone was hypothermic, it is better to give them warm water and not coffee or tea, to drink.”

Lee nodded as Hank picked up the mug that was now half filled with warm water.

Turning back towards the others, Hank unconsciously checked where everyone was, a habit he had picked up after being promoted to captain. He frowned as he realized that one of them were missing. Turning back to Lee, he asked softly, “Where’s your partner?”

“He went outside about half an hour ago to get some more water from the well.” Lee answered succinctly.

Hank frowned, “Alone?”

Lee swallowed hard, aware that he had made a grave mistake by allowing Jim to go outside alone, especially when they were not certain of where their suspects were. And now his partner was missing. He nodded as Hank turned and peered out of the window trying to see the detective in the darkness and heavy rain, as he softly answered. “He should have been back by now.”

Hank’s heart began to race as he turned and glanced across at his guys huddled around the table before he turned back to looked at Lee as he asked softly, “You don’t think that-” He was cut off mid-sentence by the loud crack of a gunshot, less than a heartbeat before the window beside him shattered, showering both him and Lee in glass.

“Get down! Get Down!” Lee shouted as he heard Hank gasp in pain before Hank dropped to the floor. He wasn’t sure if the fireman was hurt or just diving for safety as he also dove for the safety of the floor, confident the others were doing the same thing around the table as he yelled, “And someone kill that damn light!”

E!E!E!E!E!

Returning to his hunting nest, Cedric wiped the blood off his hands onto his pants before he removed the night vision glasses and carefully placed the guns, he was carrying, onto the ground beside him. He had forgotten just how much enjoyment he got with the up-close and personal killings that came with using a knife to dispatch his prey and now he was eager for the rest of the hunt to carry on.

Peering through the curtain of ferns at the now well-lit cabin, he watched the figures move around the cabin through the cabin windows. His anger and annoyance rose as he continued to silently watch the men within the cabin, and he growled in frustration. They were making it too easy for him, this wasn’t the way the hunt was supposed to go. They were taking all the fun and challenge out of the hunt. He was going to have to make them come outside and play the game by the rules and he knew just how to make it happen.

Picking up his gun, he carefully lined up his sight on two figures who were standing in front of one of the windows. Although with the light shining behind them, hiding their features, he could not identify either men, he was certain they were two of the hikers, they were both too tall to be either of the cops. Honing the crosshairs of his gunsight on the taller figure as he prepared for the kill, he began to murmur his own version of his favorite, lucky Ernest Hemingway’s quote to himself to himself, “There’s no hunting like the hunting of man -“

Squeezing the trigger, he felt the renewed thrill as the rifle recoiled into his shoulder and he saw his prey jerk back through the lens of his gunsight before both men dropped out of sight. Pausing a moment to soak up the sounds and fear of the startled and confused shouts that were coming from within the cabin before the cabin light suddenly went out, plunging it into darkness. Satisfied that he now had his preys’ full, undivided attention, he knew without a doubt that after the disappearance of the first hiker and now with the death of the second within the cabin itself, that the rest of them would soon run, despite having to drag the injured injun along with them, the darkness, and the cold, rather than be trapped.

Grinning, his anger forgotten and feeling excited for the hunt again, he lowered the rifle as he finished his own twisted version of the quote the same quote that Mike had just told the guys inside the cabin, “And those who have experienced the thrill of not only tracking but also hunting down a man for the kill will never, ever want to hunt anything else…”


	21. Chapter 21

Dixie looked up as Ron Crockett walked back into the ICU room. Glancing at Joanne who seemed totally oblivious to anything and everyone around her except Roy, Dixie rose to her feet and walked across to the window that the LAPD lieutenant was now staring out of at the rain that now lashed the city. In the distance she could see flashes of lightening that foretold of another storm that was rolling in. "Any word on Johnny, Hank and the rest of the guys?" she asked softly.

The lieutenant sighed and shook his head. "No, there's been no radio contact with them or the two detectives," Crockett shrugged his shoulders as he added, "but that could be because of the storm or just a lack of radio signal in the area they are in. We don't even know if they are with the two detectives or on their own. Or even if any of them have found John."

"What about sending in a search party?" Dixie whispered, terrified that there had been no contact with any of them.

"The captain said they are going to try and send in search party at first light if conditions improve, it's just too dangerous to try and send anyone in tonight. The storm has stalled over the area causing flash flooding, combine that with the darkness, the lack of radio signal, the rough wild terrain that we are dealing with and two dangerous gunmen…" Crockett rattled off all the excuses the Homicide Captain whom he had spoken had used, all, he knew were valid reason as to why they could not send in a search party but… He sighed as he turned and stared out of the foggy window as he added softly, "All anyone can hope is that they have found John and are all together, and safe, taking shelter in the cabin the rangers keep stocked for wayward hikers who get caught out in weather like this." Turning back towards the bed and Roy, Crockett asked softly, "Any change in his condition?"

Turning back to look at Roy, Dixie swallowed hard as she blinked back the tears that threatened to fall. "He's still not responding to the antibiotics. Kel's going to try a different regiment of antibiotics to see if that works." Looking back at the L.A police lieutenant, Dixie dropped her voice to a low whisper as she admitted brokenheartedly, "There's a big chance that he's not going to make it through the night."

"Damn!" Crockett breathed as he looked at Joanne who was still clinging to Roy's hand softly begging him to stay with her, to fight. "How's his wife holding up?"

Giving a small shake of her head as she turned her attention back to Joanne, Dixie murmured, "Not good. Not sure how she will cope if we lose Johnny as well."

Crockett nodded as Dixie slowly walked back to edge of the bed and lightly placed her fingers on Roy's wrist as she looked at her watch, before she looked up and said something to Joanne that he didn't catch. Turning back towards the window, he sighed, torn between staying here with DeSoto's wife just in case… he didn't even want to think it… or going back to the Santa Barbara police station and convincing the captain to allow him to join in the search for the rest of the guys.

Turning back to look at Joanne, he made up his mind. He was just spinning his wheels here, Dixie and Dr Brackett were here to support her, but with two lunatics out there who thought hunting men was some sort of a sick game, the guys needed him more.

E!E!E!E!E!E!

Crawling across to Hank who was curled up on his side, moaning in pain as he clutched at his face, Lee tried to see just how badly the fire captain was injured in the soft flickering light from the fireplace as he called over his shoulder, "Is everybody okay?"

Hearing the three men still huddled on the floor around the table reassure him that they had not been hit, he ordered, "Someone check on Gage and then get over here with the first aid kit. I need some help over here, Stanley's been hit." Placing his hand on Hank's shoulder to let him know that he was there, he looked back over his shoulder as he continued to shout orders. "We also need some blankets or something to cover the windows. They have to be thick enough not to let any light shine through and then we need to get something to block the door. But remember to keep low and try to make sure that you aren't standing in front of the windows. Don't give these bastards a target to shoot at." Confident that he orders would be followed, he turned back to Hank as he reached for Hank's hands as he asked softly, "How badly are you hit?"

"N-not shot." Cap gasped, pulling away, "Feels …feels like … I've … I've got glass in my eyes."

"Easy, Cap, easy!" Mike soothed, ignoring the activity that was happening around him as he reached the two men and placed the small first aid kit down on the floor beside him.

"He thinks he has glass in his eyes." Lee told Mike softly as he moved aside.

Mike nodded as he crouched in front of Hank, before placing the torch he held onto the ground, giving him just enough light to be able to see Hank's injuries as he reached for Hank's hands .

Swallowing hard, uncertain of what help he could be and acutely that he would probably just get in the way as Mike grabbed Hank's hands and softly ordered his captain to let him look, Lee squeezed Mike's shoulder, murmuring, "If you need some help just give me a yell."

Mike nodded distractedly as Hank tried to resist the firm hands that pulled his hands away exposing the numerous bleeding cuts and small pieces of glass that were embedded around his eyes.

Lee heard Hank hiss in pain as Mike grabbed a small container of what looked like water from the first aid kit, warning his captain that what he was about to do would probably hurt before he began to pour the liquid gently and carefully over Hank's face, trying to rinse some of the blood and glass away. Turning, he watched Marco and Chet gingerly and carefully covered the window with the sleeping bag that Chet had only minutes before had draped over his shoulders, stringing it up like a thick curtain as they stood on either side of the window, trying to stay out of sight from anyone looking inside, hammering it into place with a hammer and some nails they had found next to the fireplace. Confident that they would take care of the other window in the same fashion, Lee turned and grabbed the heavy wooden cupboard next to the sink and pushed it against the cabin's door, blocking anyone who might try to enter.

Turning around, he sighed as his eyes roamed over the other five men in the room, lingering first on Johnny before he looked across at Marco and then Chet. Even in the dull light of the fire in the fireplace, he could see that the dressing that covered Chet's side was already spotted with blood. Looking across at where Mike was now loosely bandaging Cap's eyes, he sighed. He had five men to protect and three of them were injured and only one gun and a limited amount of ammo to protect them. And because of the storm and the flooding, he knew that even though he and Jim had not radioed in, there would be no search parties sent out tonight. He also knew that the precautions they were taking were only temporary at best and that the cabin could potentially become a death trap with no means of escape if the two hunters decided to storm it. They needed to come up with a plan and they needed to come up with one fast, or the chances were against them surviving the night.


	22. Chapter 22

Looking up from the report he was reading, Captain Hynes heard a loud rap on his open office door. He sighed when he saw the LA homicide lieutenant standing there. Waving the officer in, he waited until Crockett had closed the door and turned back towards him before he held his hand up, forestalling anything the L.A lieutenant had to say. "If this is about sending out a search party again, forget it. I have already told you that there's no possible way in this weather that we are going to be able to get a helicopter in the air. They are all grounded until this storm front passes. And as for sending anyone in on foot, I have already told you that there's no way that I am going to authorize any type of search tonight, especially not after talking to the rangers and getting an update about the current conditions in the park."

"But what about Detective Rollings's theory about the two serial killers who are using the park as their own hunting grounds?" Crockett began as he crossed to stand in front of the captain's desk, hoping to change the man's mind about sending out a search party or at least allowing him to join in with the search party heading out at first light if the weather conditions improved. "What if-"

"That's all it is! It's a damn theory! A damn wild hypothesis with no real solid proof other than Rollings's intuition and his gut feeling . We absolutely have no definitive proof that we have two serial killers who are skulking around the Los Padre National Park hunting down their victims in some sort of a sick hunting ground. It's entirely possible that all Rollings and Thompson have done is stumbled on some serial killer's body dumping ground. They didn't even officially connect the murders until today, so until now it's just been our own off the record suspicions that we even had a serial killer around.

Hell, we don't even know just what happened to DeSoto or where he was shot before he was dumped there or where his partner is, and we probably won't know until when and if he can tell us. I should never have let Rollings talk me into allowing him and Thompson to go off on some damn wild goose chase, especially when we knew that bad weather was moving in!" Hynes cut him off before adding softly, "Look, I know you are worried about your missing paramedic and the rest of his crew who have no right to be even out there but-"

"But what? We should just leave them out there?" Crockett growled, aware that he was teetering on the edge of insubordination, if he hadn't fallen over the line already. Taking a deep breath, he lowered his voice but not the intensity of his desperate plead, "I know it's a risk, Captain, but what if Rollings is right? What if there are two serial killers out there who get their kicks by hunting down their victims like some sort of prey? Do you think they are going to care if its raining or not? As I see it, the storm would probably a blessing and not a deterrent to them." He saw the captain frown in confusion as he tried to explain, "I just think it will cover up any gunshots or noise that they might make, and the flash flooding would help to ensure their victim wouldn't be able to escape as easily." Stepping a little closer to the Santa Barbara homicide captain's desk, he continued softly, "All I am asking for is a small group of volunteers to come with me to see if any of them have made it to safety of the cabin. If they haven't then I promise that we will wait there until first light."

"I must be crazy, certifiably insane!" Hynes muttered as he looked down at the open report on his desk before he looked up at Crockett and nodded, "Damn it, I don't know why I am even letting you talk me into this but…okay, Lieutenant, you win." Holding up his hand when he saw Crockett smile and open his mouth to speak, he continued gruffly, "But only if you can find five volunteers and a ranger insane enough to join you on this suicidal rescue mission you seem intent on going on tonight! And only as far as the cabin! Any further than that tonight and I will bring you up on charges of insubordination and disobeying a direct order, do I make myself clear?"

Crockett nodded, not game enough to say a word in case the captain changed his mind as Hynes ordered, "Now get out of here before I change my Goddamn mind!"

"Yes, Sir." Crockett nodded as he turned and hurried out of the office to try and find five officers who were willing to join him with the search.


	23. Chapter 23

Looking back up from Rollings's and Thompson's latest updated report on the Los Padre National Park murders that he had been trying to read, Tom Hynes looked up and stared at his empty doorway. Only promoted to the rank of captain less than three months ago, the chief's words still rang loudly in his ears. 'Remember, Hynes, a good captain sticks to the rules and regulations and never allows their personal feelings and friendships with the guys beneath them interfere with the job, no matter what the situation. Do that and you will make a great captain one day. A captain that the Santa Barbara police department could be proud of.'

He softly swore. Who was he kidding? He had worked by Lee's and Jim's side for the last five years. Damn it, he had taken both men under his wings as their lieutenant when they had both been promoted to Homicide as detectives. And he had been the one who had allowed himself to be talked into and agreed with Lee's crazy plan for just him and Jim to go into the park to search for the missing paramedic alone, so not to tip off the killers, even though it broke every rule and regulation in the department. He had known the plan was not only dangerous and foolhardy, especially with the weather turning, but it also went against every rule and regulation there was but often as crazy as some of Lee's and Jim's suggestions were to move a case forward, they worked. And he had come to trust and follow the guys' gut instincts over the years.

He swallowed hard, torn between duty and friendship as he continued to stare at the empty doorway. He wanted… no, he forced himself to admit to himself, not wanted, if he was going to be totally honest with himself as much as he had tried to deny it, he needed….yes, he needed to be out there searching for Jim, Lee, and the missing firemen as much as Crockett wanted. And that's just what he was going to do and to Hell with the job!

Rising quickly to his feet, he ignored his chair as it rolled away and slammed into the wall behind him as he rounded his desk, grabbing his heavy coat from the coatrack in the corner before he headed towards the door.

E!E!E!E!E!E!

Looking around at the small group of Homicide detectives and uniformed officers who were in the homicide bullpen, Crockett continued to press his plea. "Come on guys. I just need five of you to help me search tonight for Rollings and Thompson and the five missing firemen."

"And you said that Captain Hynes okayed the search if you could get five of us to go?" One of the detectives asked, glancing at his colleagues with a healthy dose of skepticism. Hynes had changed so much since being promoted to captain; he was almost unrecognizable. Gone was the lieutenant who was not only a close friend and colleague with all the detectives in the Homicide department, but the man also who they who once knew had all their backs and was willing to bend a few rules to keep them safe, who was replaced with a captain who was now strictly a rules and regulations type of guy who they no longer knew. Looking back at Crockett, he asked incredulously, "In this weather? With the flash flooding that's happening in the park?"

"Yes, I did!" Tom Hynes announced as he stepped into the bullpen, startling the small group crowded around the LA homicide lieutenant. "But we only need four more volunteers." Looking across at Crockett, he added softly, "I want to join you on the search, that's if you want me to come along." He released a small breath of relief when Crockett nodded and smiled at his offer before he turned back to face his colleagues, "So guys, even if this is not a fully sanctioned search and we all know that with the dangerous weather conditions, any officially sanctioned searches would not be approved until first light, so do we have any volunteers?"

He smiled with pride as the small group of detectives and uniformed officers all eagerly stepped forward.

E!E!E!E!E!

Tightening his hands into tight fists, Hank tried his best to ignore the white-hot pain from his loosely bandaged eyes and the almost overwhelming urge to reach up and try and rub away the small slivers of glass that peppered his eyes and face. He wasn't sure just how seriously his eyes were damaged, he was sure that he had been able to see some shadows through the pain-filled, red haze when he had first opened them after the high caliber bullet had shuttered the window he had been looking out of. He jumped in surprise as he felt a hand gently touch his arm, relaxing when he heard Mike's familiar and calm voice whisper, "Are the bandages too tight? I tried to wrap them just the way John and Roy showed us."

Reaching up to where he felt Mike's hand resting on his arm, Cap lightly patted Mike's arm as he tried to reassure his friend, "No, the bandages are fine." Wincing as another fiery bolt of pain flared through his face and head, causing his eyes to water and sting, increasing the torment, as he swallowed hard and added, "Its just-"

"You could use something for the pain." Mike finished for him, sympathetically.

"Yeah," Hank breathed as he waited for the pain to recede to a little more bearable, pulse beating throb.

Mike nodded as he waited until he saw his captain relax a little as the pain subsided before he suggested softly, "How about we go to somewhere a little more comfortable, like near the fireplace?"

Cap nodded as he heard Mike shift a little before Mike's arm snaked around his waist and helped him up onto his feet, before guiding him half crouched and keeping as low to the ground as they possible could across the small room towards the warmth of the fireplace. He felt several hands reach for him as Chet and Marco both helped settle him onto the ground between them before easing him back against the firmness of the side of John's bed.

"Mios Dios, are you okay, Cap?" he heard Marco ask anxiously, beside him.

He nodded, instantly regretting it as he turned in the direction of Marcos's voice and forced a small smile. "It's just a scratch, Marco, Mike's just being cautious." Turning his head back in the general direction of the window across the other side of the room, he sighed, "Well, I guess that answers my question."

Lee nodded, aware the statement was aimed in his direction, and acutely aware of that he probably now knew the fate of his missing partner, "Yeah, I guess it does."

"So, what now?" Chet asked as he glanced anxiously towards the covered windows.

"We stay put until help arrives in the morning." Lee answered firmly.

"Don't you have a radio? Can't we radio for some help?" Chet demanded as he turned to look at the detective in the soft firelight.

Lee nodded, "I do, but getting a radio signal this far in the park is almost impossible in the best conditions but with the storm, there's just no way to contact anyone to call in any help."

"What about the gunshots?" Cap asked softly, "Surely someone heard them and will come to investigate?"

"We barely heard them over the rain." Marco answered as Lee nodded, "So I guess if we barely heard them, there's no way anyone else did."

"Especially when the closest ranger station is almost three miles away." Lee added.

"What about a search party? Surely someone is out there looking for you, after you and your partner didn't report in, especially when your Captain knows that you were hunting two armed killers." Mike frowned.

Lee shook his head. "There won't be any search parties until after it gets light. It's just too dangerous to risk anymore lives with the large storm front that's moving through, the flash flooding and the rough terrain and any helicopters that could be used in the search will be grounded anyway because of the weather.

And as for our two-armed killers out there, the only reason why my captain even let me, and Jim, come out to search alone was because I talked him into letting us come out here to investigate my gut feeling that we were dealing with a pair of killers who got their jollies hunting down their victims.

Hell, to be honest, Jim and I didn't even know for sure if the killers were here or just using the park as their body dumping ground. We didn't even know if we would find Gage, but we figured it was worth the risk if our theory was right. As far as my captain, he is probably assuming right now that we got caught out by the storm front moving in faster than anyone anticipated and decided to shelter for the night in the cabin. He probably won't even organize a search party until daylight after the front finishes moving through and we still haven't made any contact. I don't even know if the captain's aware yet that you four decided to help search for Gage, yourselves." Softening his voice, he looked around at the four anxious men sitting around him as he added, "Look, the safest thing we can do for now is to wait it out in the cabin until morning. It's just too dangerous to try and make an escape and go trouping through the forest in the dark. These two bastards would pick us off in a heartbeat."

Seeing Chet open his mouth to object, Lee held his hand up as he continued, "Besides that, neither Gage nor your captain are in any condition to be dragged through the forest in this rain. Look, I have already lost my partner to these two bastards tonight and there's no way, if I can help it that I am going to let them kill any of you. We still have a rifle and some ammunition, and I am sure if we look around, we can find more weapons to arm ourselves with if we need to. The door is barricaded and the only other way in is through the two front windows. If we are careful and keep our wits about us and don't try anything stupid, we should be safe tonight. So, how about we all take turns guarding the windows?"

Cap listened as Marco and Mike murmured their agreement. "Kelly!" he growled softly when he felt the other man stiffen beside him and didn't respond to the request. "Kelly!" he growled more firmly.

He heard Chet sigh before the other man reluctantly answered, "Okay."

E!E!E!E!E!

Watching the cabin plunged into darkness as something was placed across the windows, blocking any lights or shadows from being seen from anyone outside, Cedric smiled. Maybe his prey wasn't going to make it as easy as he thought they would but by preventing him from seeing what was happening in the cabin also prevented them from seeing what was happening outside. It was a move that he was going to use to his full advantage to force the cabin's frightened occupants to come outside and join the game.

Reaching down beside him, he grabbed the bear trap and a stick of dynamite, pleased to find that Jesse had already primed the sticks of dynamite with fuse caps before he tucked the stick of dynamite securely beneath the waistband of his pants. Reaching for his knife, he cut off a six-inch piece of fuse, looping it around his belt as the sky lit up with another flash of lightening.

He waited until the clearing again plunged back into complete darkness again before he rose to his feet Tugging the night vision glasses back down over his face, he wiped the glasses free of the falling raindrops and crouching as low as he could, he ran across the clearing towards the dark cabin as the loud rumble of thunder smother the sound of his boots as he ran across the water-logged ground.

Reaching the cabin's wall, he paused below the broken window, listening to the soft inaudible murmurings of the voices within before, remaining hidden in the shadows, he made his way towards the small wooden patio just in front of the cabin door.


	24. Chapter 24

Leaning back against the side of the bed, Chet stared at the blocked-out windows and the barricaded door before he turned his head to watch the detective check his rifle and ammunition. He felt like they were all trapped in the cabin like fish in a barrel with no way out, no way to escape and no way of really seeing just what was coming for them. He had never suffered from claustrophobia, not even when he was fully geared up, surrounded flames so hot he thought he would melt and by smoke so thick and dark he could barely see, but turning back to stare at the covered windows and the door, he felt like the walls were starting to close in. He needed to be doing something.

Pushing himself up onto his feet, he headed across towards the broken window.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Lee frowned as he lowered the rifle and watched as Chet reached the small sink and reached for the mug of warm water that Cap had poured just minutes before.

“You heard Cap, Johnny is still hypothermic, he needs something to help him warm up from the inside.” Chet announced as he picked up the mug and headed back to the bed.

Mike looked across at Lee as he and Marco also slowly rose to their feet. Tilting his head towards Johnny and Hank before he looked at Chet as Chet brushed past him and sat on the edge of the bed he added softly, “We both know that we have three wounded men in here that are going to need more help, especially if we are going to stay here all night, and that’s something that we can’t do if we stay sitting on the floor.”

Marco nodded his agreement as he turned and helped Cap to his feet before guiding him across to one of the chairs near the table.

Lee looked first at the three determined firefighters before his eyes drifted across to Hank as Marco helped him sit at the table before checking the bandages wrapped around Hank’s head and then across to Johnny as Chet sat down on the edge of the bed and helped him sit up just enough to drink.

“And with the windows covered, one person is not going to be able to see much outside.” Mike continued softly as Lee turned back to him, "But If we both take a window, we will be to see twice as much.”

“You’re right.” Lee agreed as he picked up a box of ammunition and followed Mike across to the windows.

E!E!E!E!E!E!

Chet forced an annoyed look on his face as he sat down on the edge of the bed and placed his arm gently around Johnny, helping him to sit up a little. He could still feel the tremors that shook Johnny’s body but was slightly relieved that Johnny seemed to be shivering a little less than he was when they had reached the cabin. “Don’t think you can get too used to this, Gage! I’m just being nice to you cause there’s nothing else for me to do!” He warned the younger man gruffly as he lifted the mug of warm water up to Johnny’s lips before encouraging him to take a few sips.

Lowering the mug, he was surprised to see Johnny’s lip twitch into a weak smile as Johnny stuttered, “J-j-just be g-g-glad it’s me, C-c-chet, and t-that t-t-t-the p-phantom is n-n-not having to w-warm u-up B-b-brice by u-using h-h-his b-b-body h-heat.”

“Eww, Gage!” Chet spluttered, his face turning a deep shade of red as he heard Marco snicker.

Shifting a little against Chet’s supporting arm, Johnny moaned softly as the pain in his shoulder and leg made themselves known again as his body was beginning to warm up. He could feel the warm sensation of something wet pressed against his shoulder. Swallowing hard as he tried to push the darkness that was hovering at the edges of his consciousness away, Johnny looked up at Chet. “R-remember w-when I-I told you t-that I w-would start b-bleeding m-more when I-I s-started warming u-up.”

Chet nodded.

“I-I t-think I-I’m s-starting-t-to warm- up.” Johnny mumbled as his eyes slid closed and he went limp in Chet’s arms.

E!E!E!E!E!E!

Dropping onto his stomach as he crawled out of the protective shadows to the front of the small porch, Cedric placed the large bear trap in front of him, carefully holding onto the heavy chain to stop it from jangling. Glancing at the small step that led up onto the porch beside him, his tongue peaked out slightly from the side of his mouth as he moved the trap about six inches away from the step before looking back up the porch and moving it another inch as he judged just where that first footstep off the porch would land. Satisfied with its position, he moved the chain back out of the way before with the tip of his tongue poked out the side of his mouth in total concentration at the task at hand, he pushed down on the spring, sinking the trap into the mud as the jaws slowly and smoothly opened, revealing their sharp inch long metal teeth. Sliding the pin carefully into place to prime the trap, he smiled as the wet mud flowed over the trap, camouflaging it and its bone shattering teeth from any unsuspecting eyes.

Satisfied that his first trap was set, he glanced up at the dark windows, reassuring himself that there was no light yet shining through to indicate that anyone within was trying to keep watch yet. Reaching down, he removed the dynamite from his waistband before snagging the fuse from around his belt. Carefully inserting the thin fuse into the slot in the fuse cap just as he had watched Jesse do a million times before, he began to wriggle his way around to the other side of the cabin. He needed to set the explosion close enough to the side of the cabin to terrify its occupants but not close enough to kill or main them. No, killing them that easily would take the fun out of the game. He just needed to frighten them enough to lure them out.

Reaching the side of the cabin, he paused and looked back at the two front windows as he saw small slivers of light peek out at the sides of the heavy coverings that prevented him from seeing inside. He shook his head; they were just so predictable.

Turning back to study the area around him, he looked for the perfect spot to hide before he lobbed the stick of dynamite. He smiled as he spotted the large boulder, that offered both protection and a safe hiding spot. Changing direction, he stretched his arm out in front of, plunging the bottom of the stick of dynamite into the muddy waterlogged ground as he tried to maneuver himself on his belly towards the boulder, digging his foot into the deep mud to help propel him forward.

The side of the clearing suddenly lit up with a bright flash of light before being followed less than a millisecond by a loud explosion. Chet threw himself protectively across Johnny’s limp body as Marco grabbed Hank and covered him with his body as everyone dove for cover, instinctively covering their heads with their arms.

An eerie, shocked silence momentarily descended across the clearing and small cabin before it was broken by Cedric's agonized screams.


	25. Chapter 25

Lee slowly sat up and looked around, not sure just what had just happened. He saw Marco and Mike rise from the floor, helping Hank to his feet before they began to quickly assess themselves and their captain for injuries. Turning to look at the bed, he saw Chet push himself up off Gage, quickly checking the unconscious man before he turned to check on his other friends and asking, "What was that?"

"I'm not sure but sounded like some sort of explosion but whatever it was, it sounds like someone's hurt." Mike frowned as he crossed to the window and carefully lifted the blanket back just an inch before he looked out into the darkness.

"Sounds like one of our hunters might have got caught by one of his own traps," Lee frowned as he shouldered his rifle and crossed to the second window, glancing out to see if he could see any movement that might give away anyone hiding in the forest, ready to ambush anyone who stepped out of the cabin to investigate the screams. Unable to see anything, he allowed the blanket to drop back down before he turned and headed towards the door with Mike, Chet and Marco closely following behind.

Stopping as he reached the door and unshouldered his weapon, he turned back towards the trio and asked, "Whoa, just where the Hell do you think the three of you are going?"

"There's a wounded man out there." Marco began.

"And at least one or more hunters just waiting to pick us off." Lee reminded him softly.

"And that's why you have the gun to protect us." Chet towards the rifle in Lee's hands as he and Mike reached for the heavy cupboard in front of the door and began to slide it out of the way.

Staring at the three determined men as another agonized scream from outside filled the air, Lee's grip on his gun tightened as he realized that there would be no way he would be able to convince them to stay in the cabin while he investigated the screams by himself. Stepping past them to the closed door, he sighed, "Okay, you win, but let's make this fast." Marco, Chet and Mike nodded as Lee turned back to Mike and Marco and ordered, "Both of you stay low and stay within the shadows of the cabin. And if I say get back inside the cabin, then that's what you both do whether we have the victim or not. No arguments, got it?" Marco and Mike both nodded as Lee turned back to Chet and ordered, "Close the door after we go out and don't reopen it until you hear me tell you to."

"Hey, wait-"

Lee paused as Chet began to object. Glancing down at the blood-spotted bandage covering Chet's side before looking up at the confusion and combination of anger and disappointment at not being included in the rescue that was so evident on Chet's face, he lightly touched Chet's arm as he tilted his head in Cap's and Johnny's directions as he softly explained, "Look, we have two injured men who are going to need help to make it through the night and who won't be able to protect themselves themselves if this is some sort of a trick to lure us out there. I need you here in case things go south outside not only to protect them but also to be ready to open the door and let us in if we need to get back inside fast."

Taking a deep breath as he heard Johnny begin to moan on the bed behind him, Chet slowly released it as he reluctantly nodded and sighed.

"Good man!" Lee said as he gently squeezed Chet's arm. Turning back back to Marco and Mike, he asked, "Okay, you ready?" Both men nodded as Lee ordered. "Okay, let's make this fast. We grab whoever it is in get back in here as fast as we can. No mucking around, we're going to be sitting ducks out there, so any injuries, no matter what they are is going to have to wait until we're safe back in the cabin." Turning back to the door, Lee opened and peeked out, before he opened it a little wider and stepped out with his gun at the ready for any trouble. Nodding at Marco and Mike that it was safe enough to step out, he reminded them both in a soft whisper to stay low and to stay near the cabin wall in the shadows as the agonized screams faded to someone sobbing in pain somewhere near the far side of the cabin and Chet closed the door firmly behind them.

Stepping down from the side of the small landing, Lee edged his way along the front wall of the cabin, hugging the dark shadows with Marco and Mike following closely as they carefully made their way towards the sounds of the painfilled sobbing. Reaching the corner of the cabin, Lee held up his hand in a silent order to stop before he quickly poked his head around the corner and scanned the area for any potential threats. A sudden bolt of lightning lit up the sky, heralding more heavy rain and momentarily lighting up the area like daylight, allowing Lee to see a sobbing man, dressed in muddy camouflage clothing, lying in the mud near the edge of the clearing, clutching his arm and hand close to his body.

Turning back to Marco and Mike, he whispered, "Looks like I was right and one of the hunters has managed to get caught by his own trap. I'll cover you, but let's make it fast, grab him and let's get back into the cabin before his pal decides to show up."

"Ready?" Mike asked Marco.

"Ready." Marco replied softly, crouching even lower.

"Okay, go!" Lee ordered as he stepped around the corner and lifted his gun ready to shoot if needed as he watched Marco and Mike run across the muddy ground through the heavy rain to where the sobbing man, still clutching his hand tightly, was now trying to get to his feet.

Aware of just how exposed and vulnerable they were, Mike grabbed one of Cedric's arms, wincing as another flash of lightning revealed the horrific injuries to the hunter's hand as Marco grabbed the hunter's other arm and they pulled him fully up to his feet. Half dragging and half supporting him as he began to struggle, trying weakly to break free, they ran back to the cabin, staying as low and as close to the dark wall as they could as Lee followed them, holding his rifle ready to use to stop any potential threats.


	26. Chapter 26

"I thought you might be starting to get a little hungry, I'm afraid that it was all that the canteen had left." Dixie told Joanne as she handed her the pre-packaged egg salad sandwich and small carton of milk before she pulled the small rolling bedside closer and her own sandwich and cup of coffee down onto it. She watched Joanne look down at the carton of milk in her hand before looking back at her cup of coffee on the table and then looking back at her, her eyebrow raised in an unspoken question. "Better for the baby," she smiled as she sat down beside the younger woman.

"How?" Joanne asked, incredulous. She had told no one about the baby.

"I'm a nurse, remember?" Dixie grinned before patting Joanne's hand gently and softly encouraged her, "So eat up, you are going to need to keep up your strength not only for that husband and son of yours but also for that baby you are carrying."

Joanne nodded, blinking back a tear as she placed the carton of milk on the small bedside table beside her and opened the sandwiches, taking one out before taking a small tentative bite.

"Good girl." Dixie smiled, turning her head as she heard a noise behind her.

"I've just come to check on him." Kel Brackett announced quietly as he entered the room and crossed to the side of the bed, silently relieved to find that Dixie had somehow managed to get Joanne to eat something.

"His latest blood pressure was 80/50, his pulse was 110 and his temperate was 103. " Joanne told him as he picked up the chart at the end of the bed, shrugging as he looked at the nurse's notations before looking back at her. "I …ummm… I peeked at the chart after the nurse took Roy's blood pressure and temperature and left a few minutes ago." She admitted guiltily as she watched Dixie rise from her chair and picked the thermometer from the kidney dish from the table beside the bed, slipping it beneath Roy's armpit before picking up the stethoscope and placing the tips into her ears before she took Roy's blood pressure.

Looking across at Kel after she had finished taking Roy's blood pressure, temperature, and pulse, she nodded. "Blood pressure is 80/50, pulse 110 and his temp is down to 103."

Glancing down at the urine bag that hung on the side of the bed, "Looks like his urine output is beginning to increase as well." Joanne held her breath, unsure just what all the numbers meant as Kel looked across at her and smiled, "It looks like Roy is starting to respond to the new antibiotics and they are beginning to do their job. He's not out of the woods yet but he's definitely starting to head in the right direction."

Joanne laughed softly with relief as a tear trickled down the side of her face as she reached for Roy's hand, her sandwich in her other hand long forgotten. Looking up at Kel and Dixie she smiled, "I told you that Roy wouldn't give up. That he wasn't going to leave me!" she whispered as she looked back at him and breathed, "I knew that he wouldn't do that to me. Not this way and not if he could fight to stay!"

Dixie blinked away her own tears of relief and smiled as she watched the younger woman for a minute while Brackett jotted several notes on the chart. She waited until he had finished writing before she turned and followed him from the room. Closing the door softly behind them when they reached the corridor, so Joanne could not hear their conversation, she asked softly. "Do you think there could be any long-term damage caused by the infection?"

Brackett shrugged, "I don't know, it's too early yet to tell but we are going to have to keep a close eye on him for any further complications."

Dixie nodded.

"What about Johnny?" Brackett asked, "Have you heard anything more? Has Crockett received any updates?"

"Not a thing Kel." Dixie sighed, "The guys went out to search for him on their own earlier when the Santa Barbara detectives wouldn't let them join them in the search and as for the lieutenant, I think he went back to the Santa Barbara police station to try and join in the search at first light."

Brackett's lip twitched as he ran his hand over his dark hair, "I don't like it, Dix, if Johnny's been shot and out there on his own… Time's running out…"

"I know." Dixie nodded, sharing the same fears for the young paramedic as Kel.

E!E!E!E!E!E!

Spreading the large, plastic covered map of the park out on the table, the ranger placed the cup holding spare pens and pencils on one edge of it before placing his empty coffee mug one the other edge, preventing it from rolling back up as the five Santa Barbara detectives and uniformed officers and the Los Angeles detective crowed around the table. Looking up at the officers, he began, "As you can see the Los Padre National Park covers an area of approximately 1,950,000 acres of which eighty- eight percent of it is made up of public land and the rest is privately own. Forty -eight percent of the park has been designated wilderness."

One of the Santa Barbara detectives softly whistled , surprised at just how much of the park was wilderness.

The ranger nodded as he continued, determined to make sure the police officers fully understood the challenges and dangers of searching the park at night, especially during bad weather and the high risk of flash flooding. "The park also has over 323 miles of hiking trail as well as 11 camping grounds. Many of the state's rivers including the Carmel, Salinas, Santa Ynes, Ventura and the Sisquoc to name just a few, have their origins in the park and the park is crisscross with these rivers and their creeks and their small tributaries and most of these are currently experiencing flash flooding because of the storm system that has stalled over the park."

Placing his finger on the map, he announced, "This is where the L.A paramedic who was shot, was found earlier this afternoon, on the side of the Sisquoc River Trail, just a few hundred yards south of the Lower Bear Campground." Looking up at the officers crowded around him, he continued, "And where we found three cars, one belonging to the Santa Barbara Police Department. Another registered to a Mike Stoker from Los Angeles-"

"And the third was a car rental, hired out to Chester Kelly." The ranger nodded as the Santa Barbara Homicide captain told him, "The second car is registered to one of our missing LA firemen and the rental was hired out by another one of them. We believe they decided to search for their missing paramedic on their own. We're just hoping that they managed to hook up with my two officers."

"I see," the ranger head bobbed up and down just once as he reached for a blue marker pen and returned his attention back to the map. First pointing to the contour marks on the map, he frowned, "As you can see the area is quite mountainous and wild. Anyone wandering off the trail can easily become disorientated and lost." Removing the pen lid, he began to use the pen to trace the path of the Sisquoc River and several small creeks that branched off from it as he continued. "The Sisquoc River flows through this area and as you can see it has several small creeks and tributaries that flow into it." Placing the pen down, he traced a small, dotted line that ran almost parallel to the river. "And this, Gentleman, is the Sisquoc River hiking trail. As you see it hugs the river's edge pretty closely."

The men all nodded as they carefully studied the map laid out in front of them.

Pointing to a small spot marked with an 'X' located back a little from the river, the ranger announced softly. "And this is the cabin that I told you about earlier. It's a small cabin about six miles north of here that we maintain and ensure there is always a small supply of firewood, food, and blankets to help shelter any hikers who get caught out in the weather who becomes disorientated and lost. Unfortunately, there is no way to establish radio communication there. Too many surrounding mountains that block the radio waves. It is set back away in the forest to protect it from any potential flooding."

"Just how bad do you think the flooding is in that area?" Ron Crockett frowned.

Picking up the blue marker pen again, the ranger began to color the map, the blue shading flowed out from the river and the small creeks to cover a large area of the map. "Best guesses based on the amount of rain we have had this afternoon and evening and the water coming down from upstream, this is our best estimates until we can check it out at daybreak. Based on the time that you told me that your missing officers and firemen set off to search for the missing paramedic. I would guess they are still on this side of the river and they have hopefully made it to the cabin to shelter."

"And Gage?" Crockett asked softly.

The ranger shrugged, "We don't even know if he's in the area."

"But if he is and he's on the other side?" Crockett pressed.

"Hopefully, he has managed to have found some protection in one of the empty cabins on the other side of the river. Unfortunately, we won't know be able to search those until the water starts receding. Those cabins will be completely isolated now by the flooding." Removing the mug and the pen container from the edges of the map, he began to roll it up as he looked up at the other officers and asked, "So do you still want to do try and make it to the cabin tonight? It's going to be a hard two- or three-hour hike and it's going to be as far as we are going to be able to safely go until daylight."

All the men nodded.

"Okay, grab your gear and let's get going." The ranger ordered before adding, "And when we get to the trail, keep close to me, it's going to be easy to get lost and into serious trouble, especially with this rain. And if there are two hunters out there, like you suspect there are, hunting down their victims– you can bet that they've set some traps set as well."


	27. Chapter 27

"Open the door, Chet, we're coming back in!" Mike yelled, staying as close to the cabin wall as they could as Marco and he reached the edge of the landing and stepped up onto it with Cedric held firmly between them. The injured man's initial fight appeared to have gone out of him as he gritted his teeth and cradled his mangled hand as the cabin door opened and he was reluctantly guided inside.

Casting a quick glance over his shoulder at the open cabin door as he was led across to one of the chairs at the table, Mike saw Lee pause in the doorway, his gun ready for trouble as he turned and scanned the dark clearing before turning to follow them inside.

Slamming the door shut, Chet grabbed the heavy cupboard and began to drag it back across in front of the door. Flicking on the safety on the rifle, Lee slung it over his shoulder as he grabbed the other end of the cupboard and helped Chet slide it into place.

"Is he one of them?" Chet asked looking over his shoulder at the wounded man as Mike and Marco eased Cedric down on one of the chairs and began to examine his hand.

Turning to look at the mud covered, wounded man whom they had just brought into cabin, Lee nodded as he reached up and unshoulder his rifle, re-releasing the safety as he held it ready to use if needed as he held it securely front of him. Watching Marco turn and hurry across to retrieve the first aid kit from his backpack before bringing it back to the table, he glanced at Chet and answered, "Yeah, I think so," before he walked across to the table and stood in front of the injured man.

Chet glared at the injured man as he walked past him and before protectively sitting on the bed next to Johnny.

Glancing down at his hand as the tall dark-haired hiker carefully examined it, Cedric was surprised to discover that he still had three fingers left on his blackened and badly mangled hand. Only blackened, bleeding stumps remained where once his pinky and ring finger had been. He gritted his teeth and swallowed down a moan as the hiker gently turned his hand over.

Mike bit his bottom lip as he examined the man's injured hand, unsure of just what to do or even just where to start as he reached into the first aid kit that Marco had placed and opened on the table next to a bowl of water and removed several cotton swaps, dressings, and bandages.

"How… how bad … is … it?"

Mike jumped as he heard Johnny's weak question.

Turning to look at his friend lying on the bed, he was surprised to see Johnny conscious again and watching him through tired eyes. Glancing back down at the injured hand before he looked back at the injured paramedic, he licked his dry lips before he answered softly, "He's lost two fingers and the rest of the hand and fingers are severely lacerated and he has what looks to be second- and third-degree burns."

Johnny nodded as he tried hard to focus on the injured man sitting at the table. He was the paramedic and Mike needed his help with a victim.

Chet stared down at Johnny, amazed and a little awed that the young paramedic was willing to help the man who had murder several people and who had tried to murder both Roy and him, as Johnny continued weakly . "Y-y-you need p-pressure to slow the b-bleeding. Holding his h-hand up above h-h-his heart should h-h-help."

Mike nodded as he raised Cedric's hand up into the air and grabbed several dressings and placed them over the bloody stumps and fingers, holding them tightly, ignoring the injured man's attempt to pull his hand away.

"M-Marco, w-wash any dirt o-o-out of his wounds." Johnny stuttered, swallowing a moan, and blinking away the darkness that threatened to pull him under again as he tried to sit up to see. "T-then bandage his h-h-hand but make s-sure the bandages a-around t-the missing f-f-fingers are kept d-damp."

"Damp?" Marco frowned as he turned and looked at Johnny before he looked back at Mike who looked just as confused as he felt by Johnny's instructions.

Mike shrugged before he nodded, uncertain of the reason of why they needed to keep the bandages damp but deciding if that's how Johnny said to treat the wound, then that's what they would do.

"If that's what John says needs to be done, then that's what you should do." Cap said softly.

Marco nodded, forgetting that Cap could not see his nod as he began to carefully clean the silent, sullen man's injured hand.

Looking away from the two men who were bandaging his hand, Cedric, his teeth gritted tight against the pain, turned his head and glared across at Johnny and Chet, his eyes bright with the hate and loathing he felt for the dirty injun who had cheated and one of the cops who had so cold bloodedly murdered Jesse. Turning back to glare at the other murdering cop who was now bandaging his hand, he stopped as he stared up at Lee and the gun in Lee's hands. His heart as he noticed that the gun's safety was not turned on.


	28. Chapter 28

"Wait, there's a body here!"

Crockett felt his heart stop as he turned and saw a flash of something blue at the feet of the S.B.P.D uniformed officer in the torchlight as the officer knelt and pushed aside the fern fronds aside. Forcing himself to carefully tread the couple of steps that separated him from the officer and the body, he found himself staring down at the body of a dark-haired young boy. He swallowed down the hot bile that rose and burned the back of his throat as he watched as Tom knelt beside him and gently rolled the boy onto his side, exposing two gunshot wounds in the boy's back that had killed him before easing the body back down onto its back.

Looking up at the LA police lieutenant, the officer frowned, "I guess he's too young to be one of your missing firemen."

"No, he's not one of the missing firemen. His name is David Andrews and he's just sixteen years old." The rangers said quietly, handing Crockett his torch to hold before shrugging out of his backpack and removing his thick jacket. "His family were camping at the Cottonwood Campground when he disappeared in the park about a week ago after a going for a hike to cool off after he had a fight with his parents."

"I thought that he was ruled as a runaway." One of the uniformed officers frowned as he watched as the ranger knelt and carefully covered the body with his coat, taking care not to disturb the crushed ferns or the ground surrounding the young boy.

The ranger swallowed hard and nodded as he tucked his jacket around the body, trying to shelter the young boy from the rain as he answered, "We searched for him for four days, but we found absolutely no trace of him. No tracks, no indications that he had wondered off the hiking trails and had become lost, nothing." The ranger sighed as he stared down at the jacket covered body, ignoring the cold rain that was beginning to soak his shirt as he softly continued, "The Cottonwood Campground is pretty accessible by road and tends to attract a lot of visitors who prefer to do their camping in the comfort of campervans as well as attracting a lot of day visitors. And after four days of finding nothing to indicate that he was even still in the park, we just thought that-"

"He was a runaway." Tom finished for him.

"Yeah," the ranger nodded before he suddenly rose to his feet and turned to look at the dark forest surrounding them, the anger and guilt he was feeling evident on his face for all the police officers to see as the area was momentarily lit up by a bright flash of lightening as he growled, "And while we decided we were wasting our time and decided to call off the search, believing that we were just dealing with a kid who had ran away with another camper while throwing some sort of a temper tantrum because he thought that he was being unfairly treated by his parents, these bastards were using him for hunting practice."

Rising to his own feet, Tom lifted his hand and gently squeezed the upset ranger's shoulder as he murmured, "You weren't the only one, we would have had to have come to the same conclusion to allow the search to be ended." Tilting his head in the direction that they had been headed before the body had been found, he said gently, "We didn't save David, but we can still try and save the others before these two bastards murder them as well."

Swallowing hard as he blinked back the hot tears that threatened to fall, the ranger nodded.

"Good man!" Tom smiled encouragingly, pushing aside his own grief for the young boy until later, as he asked, "Okay, just where is this cabin?"

Clearing his throat, the ranger tilted his head towards the north as he answered with a shaky voice, "It's about a mile north of here, set back a little from the river." Glancing around at the dark forest that surrounded them and the heavy falling rain before he looked down at the waterlogged sodden ground, he sighed, "If we take it nice and careful, we should get there in about an hour."

"And if we don't?" Crockett asked, glancing down at the jacket covered body before he looked back up at the ranger.

"If we don't," The ranger paused as he looked around at the dark forest and the heavy rain that made the hike treacherous. Looking back at Crockett, he shrugged, "We could get there in about half an hour, even less if you want to take the risk of taking a more dangerous, direct route that I know."

Slapping the man on the shoulder, Tom Hynes nodded, "I think the sooner we get there the better. So, go ahead, don't worry about us and how dangerous it might be, just lead the way and we will keep up!"


End file.
